A Twisted Triangle
by Eiri Kagayaku
Summary: Two new chapters added! - Agatsuma Soubi: The devoted, attentive, and very much abused lover of Aoyagi Seimei. Content with the life he leads, Soubi knows himself to be in love with Seimei, but when he meets Seimei's younger brother, everything changes...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Loveless. Yun Kouga got to them first.TTTT I wish she'd share.**

Originally posted elsewhere, and yes, by me. Due to the feedback I've gotten over the past year, I think this piece needs a little more love. A Twisted Triangle is still a work in progress, and I'm very busy with a handful of other projects for different sites and purposes, so bear with me. ) Please note that there may be very mild problems with italicized text (I'm not used to this uploading system).

I've posted three chapters to get the ball rolling. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

* * *

"Soubi?"

He heard his name being called, of course. It just took a while for his motor skills to cooperate and allow him to look over to the man speaking to him.

"Yes?" A belated response, but a response nonetheless.

Seimei, a twenty-something college student, raised his eyebrow to the blond at the side.

"Where were you just now?"

Chuckling wryly at himself, Soubi waved his hand. "Nowhere. I'm sorry, it's just one of those days."

Seimei smiled a faint, wary sort of smile, one that informed Soubi that he understood a bit more than he let on. He needn't have spoken.

Blue eyes shifted down to the sketchpad in his lap, a long brow furrowed, his forehead wrinkled in concentration.

"Creative gene stalling again?" Seimei asked as he caught sight of his companion's discouraged pose.

Soubi nodded.

The blond art student had long been a sufferer of _artist's block_. A dreadful syndrome with symptoms consisting of, but not limited to, frustration, little sleep, twice as many cigarettes as was necessary, and a heap of crumpled up paper. The deadline for a midterm painting for art class was coming on fast and Soubi usually worked well under pressure, but his creative outlet was being clogged by a little parasite that had taken it upon itself to eat away at his 'creative gene.'

Soubi rubbed a hand to the back of his cat-earless head. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he said.

A light, feather-gentle hand lay atop Soubi's own, offering a sort of comfort.

"You haven't gotten any sleep lately. You're probably just tired." One of Seimei's black cat ears flickered off to the side. "You need some distraction."

Seimei stood from the park bench, looking to his companion expectantly. "Come on. We'll play some videogames at my house. That'll take your mind off it. I'm sure you'll think of something when you're not trying too hard."

Soubi went to protest on the grounds of getting back to his roommate—he hated leaving Kio all alone in their apartment, the little snoop—but that wisp of a smile on Seimei's face prevented it. That damnable smile drew him in, and elicited one of Soubi's own.

"Alright."

Soubi was a hopeless romantic, and helpless to Seimei's will. Whatever Seimei wanted, Seimei got. Soubi could just never refuse him. It wasn't as though he was bound by some invisible force that pulled the strings and commanded his actions. He just wanted to. Anything to see Seimei happy. That was just how things worked.

Ever since he had hit the rough age of fourteen, Soubi had found himself victim to Seimei's will. They had fallen into each other's company in the aftermath of a brawl just outside of their high school; Seimei was a junior, and Soubi but a freshman.

A group of seniors had noticed one crisp spring day, that the ears on Soubi's head were mere prosthetics, and proceeded their nosy little inquiries about them. When Soubi kept his mouth shut, a fight broke out. Seimei had watched from the sidelines as three seniors ganged up on Soubi, and the blond single-handedly fought the entirety of them off. Given, he didn't escape unscathed, but it was good enough. After the fact, Seimei found his way over, noting Soubi's bruises and scrapes, and offering to walk him home. He asked no questions about the false ears. Being a bit of a social outcast, Soubi took Seimei's kindness to heart.

That was but the beginning of a long and complicated relationship. A rough six years had passed since then. Their bond between them grew stronger, the threads that tied them together thickened every day.

The walk to Seimei's home proved not long enough for Soubi to reminisce.

As usual, they entered Seimei's bedroom from the sliding glass window; it was better Seimei's mother was left in the dark about Soubi's frequent visits. She was an unstable woman, and neither man was about to risk treading on thin ice.

"My little brother will be taking this room soon," Seimei told Soubi once they had finished taking off their shoes.

Soubi frowned.

"And I've gotten so used to coming in through that window, too," the blond feigned a pout.

Seimei chuckled at him.

"Don't worry. The window in my new room will be just as easy to climb into.'

With a nod, Soubi sat down upon the edge of Seimei's bed, his hands behind him to support his weight. "Why is he taking this room, though?"

Seimei moved to the corner of his room where a television and a number of game stations sat, proceeding to look through his wide collection of PS2 discs.

"Because," Seimei elaborated, "the room he's in now is a little bigger than this one, and my mother says I need the space more than he does right now. He'll throw a fit at first, of course. But I'll make it up to him."

Soubi had never actually seen Seimei's little brother, only heard of him. But if he was anything like his older brother…

"I see…" Soubi ran his fingers over the edge of his closed sketchpad, pondering, trying like Hell to think of something he could draw. He had drawn at_least_ ten thousand butterflies this semester, and he didn't feel like doing it again. Silently, Soubi pleaded the gods for inspiration.

Seimei held up the case for Super Smash Bros. Melee for Soubi to see. "How about this one? We can tag team."

"Sure."

Seimei switched the PS2 on, then sat down next to his companion—a little closer than he probably had to—with two wireless controllers in his hand. Soubi took one, and the game began.

Maybe he did need this to take his mind off school. Seimei was probably right, he was just thinking about it too much. If inspiration wanted to come to him, then it would come to him, but in its own time.

Besides that, Soubi was rather enjoying Seimei's current closeness. Their friendship commonly allowed for boundaries to be crossed, certain areas of their anatomy to be explored—breached, in Soubi's case. Soubi didn't mind. Seimei didn't seem to, either. But on more than one occasion, Soubi craved so much more that he couldn't have. Seimei was rather intent on keeping his ears a while longer, if only to please his mother. Soubi knew there was no way he could have asked Seimei to do otherwise. He respected Seimei too much.

He _loved_ Seimei too much.

At least, that's what it felt like.

"Ritsuka, go get your brother. Dinner will be ready in just a minute."

Twelve-year-old, compliant little Ritsuka nodded, setting down the third plate at the head of the table for his brother.

"'Kay," he said, chirping. Ritsuka bounded up the stairs, his hand on the railing, headed for his brother's bedroom.

Without announcing himself, Ritsuka cracked open his brother's bedroom door to see if he was even _in_ there. He knew his brother took impromptu trips out of the house without telling a soul. But when he found Seimei, the words he had prepared ceased to matter.

Young, Ritsuka was, but he was far from naïve. He was rather intelligent for a boy his age—despite his mediocre grades—and he knew a promiscuous sight when he saw one, and what Ritsuka's violet eyes had seen upon opening his brother's bedroom was _very_ promiscuous.

Seimei's frame lay back on the length of his cobalt bed, his hands lathered into long strands of blond hair belonging to a man Ritsuka didn't recognize. The stranger had settled between Seimei's bent legs, laying just over Ritsuka's black-haired brother, with his hand down the unbuckled fly of Seimei's jeans, stroking an unseen arousal.

What made matters even more bewildering to the twelve-year-old was that, not only were they touching each other in ways that Ritsuka could _never_ imagine his brother touching someone, but they were _kissing_, on top of it. Weren't you only supposed to kiss someone you loved? Wasn't a man supposed to love a woman, not another _man_?

The men had yet to notice that Ritsuka had stumbled upon their tryst, and Ritsuka wasn't sure he wanted them to know. What would they do? What would _he_ do?

"Ah… Soubi…" Seimei breathed out the name of his casual 'lover' as a hot mouth dropped to his throat.

Pleased, Soubi parted his lips and licked a wet trail over Seimei's neck, grazing his teeth over the prominent bump in the center. He suckled lightly where his teeth touched, lapped his tongue over where his lips touched, creating a sort of pattern. All the while, his hand occupied itself with the tedious stroking of Seimei's rigid member.

Seimei bucked his hips up into Soubi's touch. Soubi hastened himself in response. The blond himself had a raging erection that was going nowhere in a hurry, and he had resorted to dry grinding against Seimei's leg to satiate it.

"Wait," Seimei muttered as he pulled his hips away from Soubi's doting hand, albeit not without a fight from his aching pelvis.

Blue eyes looked up into endless violet ones, questioning, as his own body stilled.

Seimei reached down to the buckle of Soubi's belt, and a quick unfastening allowed for him to pull the strap free of the belt loops. Soon after, he unfastened Soubi's fly and freed the blond's erection, much to Soubi's relief.

A brief repositioning of their panting bodies left their pelvises locked, Soubi atop Seimei, but it was more than clear who had the control. Seimei placed Soubi's belt to the back of the blond's long, slender neck, his hands at either end of the leather strap. Seimei pulled and Soubi was forced down; once more, their lips met in a searing kiss.

Rocking up, Seimei placed a delicious friction to Soubi's straining arousal. In reciprocation, Soubi mimicked the action. Before long, a solid pace had settled in, and they filled the room with the hollow sound of fabric brushing together, accentuated by breathy groaning.

It was beyond Soubi to take Seimei's ears from him, he knew it. It was, at least, for right now. But this would do. Oh, yes, it would… It satiated Soubi's mind-boggling hunger for his beloved Seimei, and it always pleased Seimei to no end. Anyone who made a comment on him still having his ears would be met with a sly grin that only he and Soubi understood. No-one would ever guess what went on between these two, and no-one ever would.

So they thought.

An urgent need set into Soubi's veins, and he attempted to slow down his impending climax. He wanted to last as long as Seimei did, to increase the pleasure of the aftermath. Seimei was always the most satisfied when he and Soubi finished together, and it was in this light that Soubi set out to do just that.

Panting like a dog, Soubi bowed his head as Seimei rocked more fervently against the blond's lean body. The catches in Seimei's throat—elicited from strangled attempts to keep quiet and not draw attention from his mother and his little brother—were more prominent now, and Soubi knew he was close. He had grown accustomed to that beautiful sound, the sound that only Soubi could cause, the sound of Seimei reaching his pinnacle with such pleasure that only Soubi could bring.

The belt which Seimei had since used to hold Soubi down was soon discarded, and rough hands instead gripped at Soubi's back. With Soubi's shirt pushed up, Seimei scratched at the blond's fair skin, groping farther down, forcing a harder pace. It wasn't long before Seimei was sent over the edge, and Soubi followed just after. Seimei craned up, burying his face in Soubi's alabaster neck, biting roughly at the skin there to silence his moan of completion. In correspondence, Soubi was forced to bite against the back of his own hand, muffling his cry of pleasure.

Spent at last, Soubi collapsed on top of his lover, panting heavily against his shoulder. Seimei lovingly caressed the tussled strands of Soubi's hair, almost an apologetic gesture for leaving scratch and bite marks all over his neck and his back. He needn't have apologized, however. Soubi loved such treatment.

"Seimei…"

With one hand to his mouth, Ritsuka silently shut his brother's door and shuffled further back into the corridor.

What had he just seen? More importantly, why had he watched? He didn't know. All he knew was that his brother had been in the arms of another man, making sounds the boys at school only joked about.

He couldn't tell anyone about this, of course.

But such a thing was so_hard_ not to bring up…


	2. Chapter 2

"Evening, Mother. Ritsuka." Seimei glanced to his little brother with a smile.

Ritsuka regarded his brother with a quiet nod, nothing more. He still hadn't recovered from the risqué scene played out in Seimei's bedroom just ten minutes before, and it didn't seem as though Seimei had any idea he and his blond companion had had an audience. It was better that it stayed that way, Ritsuka theorized.

"Good evening, Seimei," the lady of the house greeted her son with a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry not to have seen you earlier. How was school today?"

"Same old," Seimei said with a shrug as he took his place at the table. "Midterms are coming up."

"That's nice," came the vacant response from the walking bottle of nitroglycerin.

Rich violet eyes turned to the amethyst ones belonging to the youngest Aoyagi.

"You had your first day of your new school today, didn't you?"

Ritsuka nodded.

Seimei smiled, though he couldn't have helped being taken aback by his brother's sudden stolid behavior. "How'd it go? Make any friends?"

Ritsuka—a very uncomfortable Ritsuka—shrugged and tapped his index fingernail against the rim of his water glass.

The elder Aoyagi's proud brow furrowed then. He hadn't the faintest idea of what had gotten into his little brother, but whatever it was, he was already not liking it. Since when was Ritsuka so tight-lipped? On a normal day, Seimei couldn't shut the little ball of energy up!

"Soup's on."

Their matriarch served their perfectly portioned dinners, and they sat down like a perfect family, enjoying the perfect evening. Ritsuka's behavior could probably be attributed to a rough day at a new school, Seimei decided, no matter how wrong he was. He had his own little issues to mull over, let alone his little brother. He still had Soubi fresh in his mind.

A grin crawled to Seimei's lips, which he covered with an innocent dabbing of his napkin to the corner of his mouth.

Soubi. His perfect little Soubi… He could still feel those talented hands wandering his skin, putting all the right pressure in all the right places, going so far as to tease Seimei, awakening the more dangerous side of the Aoyagi, the side no-one but Soubi ever truly saw.

Soubi seemed to love that side, Seimei noted with a silent exhilaration.

Yes, he could just see it now…

Seimei would toss the blond onto his back and maul his skin with an animalistic fervor. Lips soft as rose petals would leave the reddest of marks, teeth white as the ivory keys of a piano would scratch the surface of alabaster skin, awakening shades of pink and raw red from his Soubi's perfect skin. All the while, his Soubi would groan with unabashed pleasure, sometimes twist away to elicit a punishment from his lover-figure; a lovely torture that often left him flushed, breathless, and very satisfied.

Somehow or another, their unspoken rule had gone abided; no actual intercourse, preserving Seimei's virgin ears for another time.

Of course, they could always go out and purchase a pair of black prosthetic ears and a mildly realistic-looking tail (those were always harder to find; sometimes, they appeared far too rigid for a realistic cat tail, other times, they were flaccid and devoid of life at all). That would put them back a mere fifty-some-odd dollars, and it would surely increase the pleasure between them. But the fact remained that Ritsuka was very apt to little changes, and would surely discover Seimei's dirty little secret within moments. And Ritsuka, just being Ritsuka, would probably inform their mother.

That would be opening a whole jar of trouble Seimei didn't feel like exploring just yet.

Besides that, he was rather content with the relationship he and Soubi shared thus far. Seimei commanded, Soubi obeyed. Soubi brought Seimei pleasure, Seimei brought Soubi pleasure. Lather, rinse, repeat. Things were good right now.

Why ruin it with all that silly talk of virginity?

Soubi had been earless for some time now, and he recollected on that fact quite often, more so after he and Seimei had fooled around. He didn't know why. Just a rite of passage, he supposed.

Of course, when he thought of the one to take his ears, he drifted into a state of mild frustration, and immediately reached for his cigarettes.

The night was turning out to be abnormally cold for this particular October. Soubi pulled his coat more tightly around his shoulders in an attempt to warm his chilled skin.

Why was he still standing out here?

Blue eyes glanced back to Seimei's home, longing, yearning to go back. He and Seimei rarely got to bask in the aftermath of their lovemaking—could it really be called that?—and Soubi detested it. They were generally rushed, as Seimei had his home life to tend to, and Soubi… well… he didn't have much of a home life, save for Kio, so he generally went home to draw, or paint, or sit on his bed with a cigarette, watching the city bustle outside of his window.

He loved Seimei, no doubt there, and he would have done anything to make that man happy, even if it entailed them hiding that love in the shadows. But more often than not, Soubi found himself longing for more of a commitment. More of an openness to their relationship, more…

Just _more_.

Was that so selfish?

It probably was.

Soubi chuckled dryly through a mouthful of smoke and sighed soon after. Foolish dreams for the foolish dreamers, that's all. Seimei didn't love him. He knew that. And he was okay with that.

After all.

Whatever Seimei wanted, Seimei got.

And that was the end of that.


	3. Chapter 3

On Ritsuka's thirteenth birthday, Seimei threw him a party. Ritsuka's effervescence had earned him a wide array of friends, and thus, the party was no small matter. Their mother had been called to the other side of the city for a job interview, leaving Seimei to watch the group of adolescents on his own. It was in this light that he called for reinforcements. Soubi.

"Of course. I'll head right over."

When the line went dead, Soubi sighed with mild fatigue. He had gotten little to no sleep the night before, and he really was in no condition to watch a bunch of teenagers party. But who was he to turn Seimei down? Pocketing his cell phone and heading out with his favorite cobalt blue jacket, Soubi hit the pavement, his subconscious navigation system kicking into gear and leading him to Seimei's home. In any other case, Seimei's mother would have been enough incentive to keep Soubi away from the house, but with her out of the way, Soubi supposed it was safe.

To date, Soubi had never actually laid eyes on Ritsuka. In truth, and only to himself, he admitted he was rather anxious about meeting him face to face. Was he anything like his older brother?

Suddenly, Soubi laughed.

Two Seimeis. That was a thought.

"God forbid," Soubi chuckled.

_I don't think the world could handle another Aoyagi Seimei._

A short walk and a cigarette later, Soubi came across the Aoyagi home. With a tentative hand, he knocked three times, and then stepped back onto the doormat.

From where he was, he could hear music, not to mention feel the bass pulsating the earth to some extent. Unconsciously, Soubi tapped his foot to the beat. He rather liked this song. Jesus Christ R'N'R by Dir en grey. Not a bad choice for a party.

Seimei opened the door. A relieved sigh spilled from his lips.

"Thank God. Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch twenty thirteen-year-old's?"

Soubi chuckled.

"I had hoped to never find out. Alas, here I am."

Stepping back to allow Soubi entrance to his home, Seimei gestured behind him.

"They're all out in the pool right now. Little cretins."

Soubi slipped off his shoes at the designated square of tile and glanced beyond the parlor and out the back door. His blue eyes narrowed, mocking the surely impending doom that awaited the two of them.

"Loud," Soubi stated the obvious.

"All teenagers are," Seimei responded, albeit not in jest.

The black-haired Aoyagi led Soubi into the living room where they could watch out the sliding glass window to make sure none of them started trying to drown each other, or whatever it was teenagers did.

Soubi took a long glance to his left, and then his right. He had never actually seen the interior of the Aoyagi home, at least, not beyond Seimei's bedroom. It was decorated rather nicely, he had to admit. Not many detail pieces, but that was to be expected of a home with children.

When Soubi next glanced to Seimei, he could sense his uneasiness. He could see it, actually. Seimei had taken to wiping his hands with a pocket-handkerchief; something he often did.

Seimei, the poor soul, was a long sufferer of mysophobia, a pathological fear of germs. How he must have suffered with an entire house full of germ-carrying teenagers! He often told Soubi to wash his hands at random intervals throughout the day, more so after Soubi had been in contact with another human being. Soubi never complained. Who didn't have an insecurity like that? Soubi had even made it a note to smoke as little as possible around the man.

"So," Soubi shifted gears as he rid himself of his jacket, neatly hanging it over a chair in the adjacent kitchen. As he strode back, he gestured out the windowpane before Seimei.

"Which one is your brother?"

Seimei went quiet as he sought out his little brother, and he pointed a moment later. "The one sitting on the diving board. Black hair, blue swim trunks."

Blue eyes flickered until they found the birthday boy in question.

Soubi could have sworn that his heart pulled the most cliché move of all and stopped.

Ritsuka didn't just look like Seimei. He was the spitting image of him. From the barely-there curve at the tip of his feline ears, the unruly wave of his messy black hair, the construction of his face and right down to the way his tail twitched underneath him. Were Seimei to be thrown into a trash compactor and squashed down to half his size, Ritsuka would surely have been the result.

But the striking resemblance wasn't what had caused Soubi's vital organs to stall.

There was something about this boy. Something… unique. He wasn't sure what.

Ritsuka laughed at something one of his little friends said, and his entire face lit up. Something about this boy called out to Soubi, glowing, almost radiating a fume that had manifested in Soubi's nostrils and forcibly caught his attention. A pheromone. Yes, that had to be it. A pheromone emitted only by a thirteen-year-old boy named Ritsuka.

Soubi fell silent.

What in all Hell was he thinking?!

The blond shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"He looks… just like you," Soubi said at last.

Seimei chuckled. "So I hear. Our mother says he acts just like I did when I was his age, too."

"I can imagine that," Soubi said as he pocketed his hands in his tight denim jean pockets. He leaned back on his heels, regaining his casual state of mind. "A mini-Seimei… Oh, I don't think the world is ready for another you yet" Soubi teased, to which Seimei responded with a playful smack to the blond's shoulder.

"True, true. Very true."

Violet eyes watched Soubi for a few moments, watching him so carefully; watching him like a housecat watches a mouse just before the pounce. Soubi didn't notice. However, he did take a bit of notice when Seimei yanked on his collar and dragged him into the sanctuary of the kitchen, away from adolescent eyes.

It was there that Seimei backed Soubi toward the wall housing an off-white telephone and a rectangular notepad with the bright green lettering of 'Things to Do' printed on the header. Soubi hardly had time to express his mild shock before Seimei shoved him back against the wall, forcing his lips onto those of the blond's. It was almost as though Seimei suddenly felt the need to assert his authority, or something of the like. Whatever it was for, Soubi consented with a compliant little mewl and a parting of his thin lips.

No sooner offered than taken; Seimei plunged his tongue into Soubi's gaping orifice, searching, plundering the lingering taste of Seven Star cigarette smoke and the essence that was entirely Soubi.

Seimei groaned, exerting the pent-up wanton need for the blond he had trapped against the not-quite-plaid, not-quite-checkered rainbow of wallpaper. It had been all of a week and a half since Seimei had last allowed for any sexual activity, and surely now was the hint that he had had enough of waiting.

Pulling away with a soft shudder, Seimei hungrily eyed the blond.

"Soubi."

Soubi watched and listened intently.

First ensuring they were out of earshot, Seimei ran his hands down Soubi's lean front. Soubi damned the shirt that prevented those long fingers from touching his skin.

"What would you say if I told you I was ready to lose my ears to you?"

Soubi's breath caught in his throat.

"S- Seimei…"

"I've been thinking about it," which would explain why Seimei hadn't so much as touched Soubi in the past few days, "and I'm sure now."

Moist lips moved over Soubi's own again, ghosting a kiss, while Soubi's tentative fingers gripped Seimei's back to keep himself standing.

"I want to take you, Soubi," Seimei murmured in a heated, lustful tone while he moved up against his prey. "I want to have my way with you. Tonight."

Blue eyes dared to glance into violet ones, and that predatory glaze in Seimei's visage both repelled and attracted the blond all at once, creating a deliciously complicated sort of predicament for his suddenly aching libido.

"I suppose I could…" Soubi paused, caressing those gorgeous feline ears nestled atop an unruly raven mane. "I could get Kio out of our place until tomorrow morning."

Seimei grinned an all-knowing sort of grin, an all-powerful sort of grin, one that those arch-villains in Disney movies so commonly attained when they were sure their plan was going to go through without a hitch.

"Lovely," said Seimei with a peck of his lips to Soubi's. "This party should be out in a couple of hours. Once it is, you can go and wait for me at your apartment. Deal?"

How could Soubi refuse?

"Deal."

It held a morbid sort of promise, but one Soubi had waited for, for what now seemed like ages.

"Good," Seimei purred, then pulled away, making a trek out into the living room, then out the back door, where he could watch the teenagers more closely.

Soubi waited a few moments until he could pull himself together, calm his racing blood, and only then did he join Seimei outside.

"Ritsuka," Seimei called his little brother. "Come here, I want you to meet someone."

The younger Aoyagi glanced over from his position atop one of his classmate's shoulders. "Alright, hang on a sec!"

The teens were playing Chicken-Fight, Soubi realized. At least ten of them had formed into groups of two, one of whom would perch atop their partner's shoulders, and then the lot of them would simply try to knock the rest of them over. Soubi vaguely remembered playing this game in his younger years.

"You remember when we were that young?" Seimei questioned his companion as he folded his arms.

Soubi chuckled. "Hardly."

"What, you were never a reckless teenager?"

"Oh, no, I was," Soubi protested. "I caused a few riots in my day. Splashed in a few pools."

"I bet. Someone like you is bound to have had an exciting childhood."

Soubi only smiled.

Ritsuka found his way over a few minutes later, his hair dripping with chlorinated water, his tail flicking frantically at his side to dry itself. He looked between his brother and Soubi expectantly.

"Ritsuka," Seimei said, "this is my good friend, Soubi." He put a particular emphasis on _friend_ that caused a mild tremor in Soubi's spine.

"Soubi, my little brother, Ritsuka."

The blond flashed an amiable smile to the younger boy. "A pleasure to meet you, Ritsuka. I've heard a lot about you."

Ritsuka hesitated before Seimei nodded in approval.

"Nice to meet you," Ritsuka said cordially, and with the sort of mannerism hanging over his head that Seimei himself so commonly displayed. Through that likeness, there was also a tangible difference between the two, Soubi noted. But at the same time… a _not_ so tangible difference. There was a differentiation between them, of course. Soubi knew that, he just hadn't figured out what yet, and it was already beginning to drive him mad.

"Do you guys go to school together or something?" Ritsuka asked as he wrung out his wet hair.

"We have most of the same classes," said Seimei.

"We met in high school," Soubi added, "when I was in my first year."

"Oh," Ritsuka said with a nod. His violet eyes seemed to concentrate on Soubi then, and Soubi noticed it. Ritsuka's brow furrowed a little in thought.

Soubi watched the boy warily. Was Ritsuka actually… scrutinizing him? He knew that look from Seimei, and Ritsuka did seem to be analyzing Soubi rather carefully. Almost as though he had seen him before…

"Ritsuka! C'mon, let's play Chicken-Fight again!" a pink-haired girl called out to Ritsuka from the edge of the pool.

Ritsuka glanced back to his friend, waved, then looked once more to the blond. He smiled amicably. "See ya around, Soubi," he said with a casual, almost teasing sort of lilt in his tone before he dashed off to the pool again.

"Ritsuka, don't-"

Seimei went to scold him, but Ritsuka had already done a cannonball into the water.

"-run."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for bearing with me so far. :) I put everything I had into this fiction, and I'm very proud of it.

**Deshera:** You flatter me! Keep it up. It feeds the ego, which makes me write more. Haha.

**black.is.the.new.blood: **I have to agree, I like the SoubixRitsuka pairing a lot more than the SoubixSeimei pairing. However, it's called for to drive the plot forward with this piece. I'll make up for it later!

**Caranina: **Thank you! It's very good to hear that the plot has substance.

**C:** Seimei_ is _a jerk. We all know it. However, I felt it necessary to give the reader a different first impression of Seimei. Fear not! His true colors are bound to shine through.

Reviews aren't completely necessary, but they are greatly appreciated. Besides that, they're good incentive to keep posting new chapters. :)

* * *

"You're serious about this!" Kio said as loud as he could have without actually yelling. 

"Dead serious," Soubi said. "Am-scray. Scram, too."

"What's the rush?_Expecting someone_?" Kio stood up on his tiptoes to reach Soubi's height, and he eyed him the way a dog eyed his smudged reflection in the mirror - questioning, confused, but still stubborn about backing down.

"No," Soubi replied, feigning ignorance.

"Then why do you want me out of the house?"

Soubi groaned. He didn't feel like telling Kio outright that he planned to take Seimei's ears. That would open up a whole other can of worms, and Soubi just didn't feel like setting those worms out to pasture yet.

But what excuse could he give that sounded relatively reasonable?

There was none.

"Just… Please. Kio. You know I wouldn't ask you to do this unless it was serious."

Kio raised his eyebrow, shifted his orange lollipop to the other side of his mouth, and then sighed. He could never turn Soubi down.

Soubi smiled, relieved. He handed him the phone book he had been toting around the house for the past five minutes while he wheedled.

"Call up any hotel you want. I'll give you my credit card. Just one night, I promise, and I'll tell you all about it later."

Kio tapped his foot on the ground. "Damn right you will. I expect a thorough report in the morning, do you copy, Agatsuma?"

"Loud and clear, mein herr."

As expected, Kio picked out an expensive hotel with an indoor pool and room service. A quick call to the front desk and Kio had a room waiting for him.

"You owe me," Kio said as he slung his backpack over his left shoulder and marched out the front door.

"Yes, yes, I owe you. I'll sell you my soul for a discount later, alright?"

"Copy that. Over and out."

Kio headed down the hall and Soubi shut the front door, sighing, and almost collapsing with relief. He had only gotten back from Ritsuka's birthday party a half hour before, and he really had no idea how long he had until Seimei showed up, so it was a heavy relief to have Kio out of the way. Should Soubi kick Kio out of the house _after_ Seimei had arrived, Kio would surely have his suspicions. In addition, if Kio was going to find out about this, it was going to be from Soubi's own lips, not from Kio's speculation - no matter how correct that speculation would have been.

It was the fact that Seimei would expect secrecy more than anything else, really.

In his haste, Soubi had almost forgotten to steal away to Kio's bedroom, where he snatched up a bottle of lubrication from the dresser drawer. He knew Kio would have it. The little bastard threw enough hints at Soubi for him to catch a few every now and again. Unfortunately, Soubi discovered, there weren't any condoms to go along with it.

Ah, well. No big loss. He tossed the bottle of lube under his pillows, and then returned to the living room.

Soubi fretted for a bit while he waited on Seimei's arrival. While the fact that they had submitted to carnal pleasure was very true, there was another fact that Soubi had previously overlooked.

He hadn't _been_with anyone since that fateful night so many years ago when his ears were practically ripped from his head.

The thought made him want to reach for his cigarettes, but he refrained. Cigarette smoke wasn't the most appealing thing in the world, and if Seimei actually intended on sacrificing his ears and tail tonight, it wasn't the best idea in the world, either. Biting back the gnawing nerves that thrived on nicotine, Soubi sat on the edge of the living room sofa, waiting patiently for Seimei's arrival.

In a way, it was like waiting for the executioner. You knew what was going to happen; you had been waiting for it for so long, just to have it done, just to end the suffering brought on by that _endles_s wait. At the same time you anticipated it, you feared it, and you dreaded it more than anything else. It meant you had hit the apex_¾_it was all going to be over after this. Your fate would be sealed. No escape.

The only comfort in all that was that Soubi didn't _want_ to escape. He didn't _want_ to pull away from Seimei's ruthless clutch, didn't _want_ to be free to pursue other possibilities, didn't _want_ to know that there were other avenues he could travel; avenues that didn't lead in favorable slavery.

It was a bitter comfort, but comfort nonetheless. Soubi loved Seimei the way no-one else was capable. Unconditionally. Unreservedly. Should Seimei so much as say the word, Soubi would happily lay his life on the line for him. That was just how he was.

Was that so horrible?

Actually…

It was.

What sort of fool would stay so hopelessly devoted to someone who didn't show a fleck of the same devotion?

Soubi asked himself that same question over and over before sleep took him in every night. Never had an answer presented itself.

_Never_.

Two casual knocks at the front door caused the blond to jump. His blood froze for a moment, and only once that ice abated did he stand and take that long walk off that short pier.

"Seimei," the blond greeted his companion with a neutral sort of smile_¾_one that could have meant everything in the world, and at the same time, nothing at all.

While Soubi suffered from the paranoia of those frantic butterflies in his stomach, Seimei seemed rather calm with the situation. He strolled right into Soubi's apartment as if he owned the place, taking a quick look around.

"We're alone?" Seimei questioned. In that brief moment, he sounded like some sort of professional hit man ensuring that these walls didn't have ears before he flashed a gun to demonstrate just how much damage he could do.

Soubi nodded, shutting the front door and sliding the deadbolt into place. "Mmhmm," he murmured with a nod. Nervously, he tucked long strands of his blond mane behind his ear.

"He'll be gone until tomorrow morning."

"You're sure?" Seimei asked, albeit his half-lidded eyes and his faint, cocky smirk made it obvious that he was just teasing now. "Because," the cat-eared male added as he stepped closer to his prey, cornering him between the coat closet and the doorframe, "I wouldn't want him walking in on something compromising."

"I wouldn't either," Soubi breathed out calmly, though on the inside, his bones wanted nothing more to go completely lax. It was those eyes that did it, those wine-red pools that appeared purple in the right light, those gorgeous orbs that pulled him in, chewed him up and spat him out, forcing Soubi to bend to Seimei's will every time.

It was always those eyes.

"You seem… uneasy," Seimei stated the obvious, craning closer. His lips hovered dangerously close to Soubi's weak spot; the hollow of his throat where it connected to a proud, prominent collarbone.

Soubi's breath hitched, and every ounce of his self-control was put to the test. His fingers twitched lightly at his side, just itching to move and touch Seimei the way he wanted to. But he didn't dare. Oh, no. Unless Seimei gave him the go-ahead, Soubi would remain stationary.

"Do I…?" Soubi asked tentatively.

Feather-soft lips ghosted faintly, just barely over Soubi's pale throat. Warm breath followed every wisp of a touch. Broad, pleasing hands gripped Soubi's waist, pulling tight, forcing him into further submission.

Damn it, anyhow, the man was driving him _crazy_. If Seimei was going to touch him, Soubi wished he would just _touch him already_.

That was probably Seimei's aim from the beginning, to drive Soubi to all points of Hell before he made good on his word.

God_damn_ it, anyhow.

"Mm," Seimei purred, taking one soothing lick of Soubi's neck. The blond shivered from the touch.

"You're tense. Nervous?"

"Nervous?" Soubi repeated the word, almost incredulously. "Why should I be nervous?"

Rhetorical question.

Seimei promptly stepped up to the plate to answer. Literally. Taking one step closer, locking his hips to Soubi's own, Seimei placed a torturous pressure to the blond's aching lower half. Soubi bit back a pleasured groan. How in the world did Seimei manage to stay so composed while Soubi was practically writhing? Such a stoic man, he was…

"You tell me."

A sinister grin crawled upon Seimei's full lips and Soubi's throat promptly went dry. His heart raced. His heavy breathing betrayed his anxiousness. By the Gods, Aoyagi Seimei was just so beautiful. Too beautiful. It should have been illegal to possess such striking good looks, such deceptive charm, such venomous intentions. A simple glance between them left Soubi utterly at a loss for words. The usually cool, calm and collected artist stuttered once or twice, and then went completely silent.

It was in that stare that Soubi realized just how far in he was.

Seimei chuckled in amusement and crushed his lips to Soubi's. In that searing heat radiating from Seimei's slightly parted lips, Soubi lost all sense of self-control, all sense of moral decency. Without so much as a qualm, he surrendered completely to Seimei's will, surrendered to the delicious essence that was his feline-eared companion and would-be lover. Soubi closed his eyes and breathed in deep, succumbing to the sweet taste of his lips, the slick tongue requesting_¾_no, demanding access to his warm cavern.

Trapped against the crux of the wall and the doorway, Soubi boldly clutched the back of Seimei's head, Long fingers tangled in unruly raven locks, stroking the base of feline ears in the same manner Seimei's tongue stroked the roof of the blond's mouth. Soubi earned a soft purr for his efforts.

What had begun as gentle - passionate, but gentle - kissing turned into something more ardent and yearning. Seimei's tongue proved hungrier than usual; it probed into nooks and crannies not yet explored (which was surprising, considering he practically devoured Soubi's mouth every time they were joined at the lips), grazing fine ivory teeth. A moan pushed its way through Soubi's throat; he reciprocated with a withdrawn tongue and a soft suction to keep that sinewy appendage inside his mouth. However, once Seimei knew just how much Soubi wanted it, he immediately pulled back.

A devilish grin donned Seimei's kiss-swollen lips.

"Bedroom," announced Seimei as he took hold of Soubi's shirt. "Now."

The commanding tone in Seimei's voice chilled Soubi to the bone. No matter how often he commanded Soubi in such a fashion, Soubi had never gotten used to it. Every time, there was something new to behold. Something new to _fear_. Seimei was Soubi's only real fear.

Soubi craved that fear. He was addicted to it the way he was addicted to his Seven Stars cigarettes. He hated it. But he loved it. He detested it…

But he _needed_ it.

Nodding in compliance, Soubi led Seimei through the modest living room and down the small hallway. The first door on the right was his destination. Being a creature of habit, Soubi went to shut the door, but Seimei moved too quickly for him. Before he could react, Soubi found himself ensnared in Seimei's embrace. Strong arms looped around his back, crushed Soubi's front to Seimei's, and once more, Soubi's lips became willing victims to Seimei's lust.

Before long, Seimei peeled away the blue shirt clinging to Soubi's chest. After, he lowered his head, closed his mouth over Soubi's throbbing pulse. Soubi gasped and arched his back, blindly groping for Seimei's shoulders.

"S- Seimei…"

Seimei breathed heavily against Soubi's prominent collarbone. "Mm," he purred, licking lasciviously at the milky white flesh. "I love hearing you say my name."

Anything Soubi could have said wound up caught in his throat, choking him. He was feverish now.

Seimei brought his slim fingers to trail down Soubi's finely sculpted front. The pads of his two longest digits pressed tenderly to a proud pink nipple, circling gently to gain a delicious moan from Soubi's lips.

Seimei grinned. Craning his neck, laying his lips oh, so gently to Soubi's ear, he murmured with wanton desire, "I'll make you _scream_ that name, Soubi."

Biting his lip, mewling rather pathetically beneath Seimei's touch, Soubi arched up against his doting hand, leaned into his lewdly shifting mouth. A warm tongue on the shell of his ear, gently rolling fingertips caressing the hardening nub on his chest, the feel of Seimei's warm body pressed against his own was proving to be more than Soubi could handle.

Oh, how close he came to climaxing in the moment it took Seimei to cup Soubi's length through his pants. The black fabric offered a rough friction against sensitive skin as Seimei's fingers tightened around the concealed shaft.

"Seimei!" Soubi cried, gripping at the back off Seimei's shirt. He clutched onto the fabric with the fierceness of a tiger ready to kill. Only, this tiger was flushed and panting, blue eyes pleading, his trembling manhood desperate for more than just a grope for contact.

Soubi wanted this. Soubi _needed_ this. No matter how much he feared it, he knew he wouldn't be able to get by without it. He wasn't exactly a sucker for sentiment when it came to fucking - to him (most of the time), sex was exactly that; just sex - but this was as close as he was ever going to get to winning Seimei's real affections, be they physical or emotional. Maybe this wasn't going to be _making love_. It was going to be _just sex_ again.

But the more Soubi thought about it, _just sex_ was better than nothing at all. If Seimei knew how Soubi viewed it, then fine. If not…

Even more fine.

"Gods… Please, Seimei…"

Chest heaving, Soubi leaned forward, his face flush against Seimei's neck, his hands to his partner's back to keep his balance. His lips gently pecked, gently sucked at the sweet, sweet flesh and his tongue followed suit; lapping, licking a bit timidly at the skin. All the while, he mewled with pleasure as Seimei's hand roughly fondled him through his slacks.

"Ngh… Soubi…"

"Take me," Soubi whispered against saliva-slicked skin. "Now. Please… I can't wait anymore. I've waited for this forever…"

This pleased Seimei to no end. Grinning like the cat who ate the canary, Seimei drew his head back, his neck away from Soubi's lips. Violet eyes stared intensely into blue ones.

A pair of deceptive lips gently grazed Soubi's own.

"Do you have any lubrication?" Seimei asked in a hushed tone of voice, his lips ghosting Soubi's as he spoke.

Soubi was rather relieved that he had asked.

"Under the pillow," Soubi murmured, gesturing to his futon. Seimei only nodded.

Nimble fingers began picking at Soubi's belt buckle, and soon enough, the fly of the blond's pants were undone as well. Seimei pulled away the thin material, exposing creamy white thighs and black boxer briefs. He chuckled lustily and slipped his hand beneath the waistband of Soubi's underwear, greeted with bare, throbbing flesh.

Soubi groaned again.

Moving up against his blond companion, pressing his clothed erection against Soubi's bare thigh, Seimei licked lazily at Soubi's throat like the cat he was - the cat he wouldn't be for long if he made good on his word. In response, Soubi shivered.

"You're so hard already," Seimei noted just as casually as he would have commented on the weather. Soubi went quiet for a moment.

Soubi didn't know why he was so flustered. He kept blushing, kept stammering, kept finding himself so nervous that it hurt. He couldn't help it. Seimei seemed to love it, and it was in that light that Soubi made no attempt to stop. If that's what Seimei wanted, Seimei would get it.

"Hard for you," Soubi breathed out through a husky groan.

No sooner had the words spilt from Soubi's lips did Seimei fall to his knees before him. Well, that was a switch. Interest piqued, sapphire hues shifted down to watch him. Slim fingers rolled down the boxer briefs Soubi wore, exposing inch by inch of bare porcelain skin; inch by inch of a hardened organ that Seimei was particularly fixed on. If the eyes said anything about a person, Seimei's eyes said that he was_salivating_ by the time he had discarded the flimsy material; a notion proven true when Seimei's warm, wet tongue moved across the base of Soubi's manhood in an experimental fashion.

A sharp moan shoved past Soubi's lips a moment after.

"Seimei!"

A pleasant shiver began at the small of Soubi's back until it had made the trek up his entire spine. Soubi's fingers groped helplessly at Seimei's hair. Soubi could do little more than watch in fascination as Seimei parted his lips, sucking on the base of his shaft, licking provocatively at the hardened flesh every now and so. Every time, a new patch of skin to victimize. Every time, a groan pulled from Soubi's throat. Though, it wasn't to last for very long.

Standing straight, pulling on Soubi's arm, Seimei led his would-be lover to the futon in the corner. Seimei sat him down, then knocked him over, leaving a very flustered, very aroused blond on his back. Pleased, Seimei proceeded to crawl over his partner, his legs on either side of Soubi's hips, pinning him. Seimei shed his shirt, leaned down, and began laying open-mouthed kisses over Soubi's neck, his collar, his chest, with his tongue along for the ride.

It was all Soubi could do not to buck up against him with the immense heat pooling in his loins. But there was a silent understanding here: Seimei was the one in control, Seimei was the one calling the shots, and Seimei was the one that this was for. Not Soubi. If Seimei wanted to bring Soubi pleasure, then he would. If he had no desire to do so, then Soubi would go unsatisfied. And he wouldn't complain, either.

That was the price Soubi paid for Seimei's companionship. Everything had had two sides at one point, but not anymore. Seimei had complete control of his blond plaything and he knew it.

Kissing a wet trail down toward Soubi's navel, Seimei gave his next command: "Spread your legs." A moment later and Soubi complied - granted, not without a bit of a fight from his muscles. Soubi found he suffered a bit of last minute stage fright. Seimei had seen him in compromising positions, but none that excluded clothing, leaving him naked and vulnerable for Seimei to see.

But he didn't object.

"Lube?" Seimei asked.

Soubi fished underneath his pillows, blindly searching for the bottle. It had slipped into the crevice between the cushions and the wall, damn thing. When he found the red-labeled bottle, Soubi quickly handed it over to his lover, then closed his eyes.

Soubi couldn't have been sure exactly what Seimei's gaze was fixating on now. He heard liquid squeezing its way out of a bottle, the slick-slicking sound of oil spreading across Seimei's fingers. He felt soft lips caressing his inner thigh, teeth occasionally nipping, a snake-like tongue lapping, eliciting soft sighs and groans from the blond. He was just so blissfully distracted that it took two fingers sliding into his recesses for him to realize just what was happening.

"… Ah…"

Breathing heavily through his mouth, Soubi reached for Seimei's shoulders, clutching tight. Well-slicked fingers began to move, began thrusting in and out of his tightly wound entrance. The instinctive tightening of Soubi's muscles served to make the sensation more prominent. Seimei purred in approval, pecking his lips tenderly to Soubi's hip.

Breathing heavily through his mouth, Soubi reached for Seimei's shoulders, clutching tight. Well-slicked fingers then began to move, began thrusting up into Soubi's body, then pulling out and thrusting up again. The instinctive tightening of Soubi's inner muscles served to make the sensation more prominent. Seimei purred in approval, pressing his fingers harder against the stressing ring of muscles.

"You're so tight," Seimei muttered with an arid tongue.

Well, this wasn't so bad. A little uncomfortable, yes, but not painful. The two fingers_¾_no, make that three fingers_¾_breathing his core, stretching his muscles for things to come were careful enough not to inflict any real pain. All Soubi felt at that point was a little twinge of uneasiness, and then a truck load of pleasure from the feel of a hot tongue laving his scrotum.

Seimei, apparently, wasn't entirely without consideration.

Before long, the discomfort shifted to pleasure. A particularly deep thrust of Seimei's fingers elicited a strangled cry from Soubi's lips. His body tingled, his manhood throbbed even harder than before, and all it had taken was a simple brush against the right spot.

"Seimei! Oh, Gods… More… Please…" The words came out broken, slightly cracked, but they were there.

After a moment of what Soubi decided to be contemplation on Seimei's part, he heard his lover speak again: "Beg for it," Seimei commanded, ceasing in his motion, sending his lustful grin up to Soubi's wide, glazed sapphires.

At this point, with his nerves in a tizzy and his urgency rising, his passion clouding his senses and Seimei's satisfaction his first priority, Soubi was hardly about to object. All of Soubi's inhibitions went out the figurative second story window. He wanted this. And he wanted it _now_. If he had to beg for it, then he would beg.

Oh, and he begged.

"Please… _Please_, Seimei, I need it," Soubi pleaded, gripping black hair, desperation in his eyes. "It feels so good… Your fingers feel so good inside…"

Presently, Seimei obliged. Curving his fingers, aiming for that one spot in particular, Seimei thrust his fingers hard into Soubi's body, causing a gasp. When he found the tender ball of nerves, he thrust again, earning himself a sharp moan of pleasure. With a grin on his lips and lust in his eye, Seimei kept it up and kept it up; stroking that tender gland over, over and over, his burgundy eyes watching with lewd fascination as Soubi writhed beneath him in pleasure.

Soubi couldn't help it, couldn't help but be loud. With every stroke of his prostate, he felt the rest of his world going numb and the pleasure Seimei gave him was all that mattered. Where had Seimei learned to do this, anyhow? He was a virgin! Shouldn't he have been clueless and clumsy?

No fucking way. This was Aoyagi Seimei, after all, and it seemed as though he had done his homework.

No fucking way. Seimei had obviously done his homework.

A+ for performance, without a doubt.

Before Soubi could fathom it, Seimei's fingers had stopped. Panting, with little more than getting that sensation back on his mind, Soubi looked up.

"You ready enough for me?" Seimei asked, wiping his fingers clean on the bed sheets.

With obscenely spread legs, lubrication slicking his entrance, his length throbbing like mad and sweat on his brow, Soubi couldn't very well have said no. He nodded fervently, reaching for Seimei's pants, unfastening his fly.

"Yes," murmured the blond, hastily unzipping Seimei's jeans. In a provocative fashion, he slipped his hand inside the hem of the clothing, searching, until he found Seimei's raging hard-on, where he began to stroke it, eliciting a soft groan.

"I'm ready," Soubi said, freeing Seimei's member from its denim and cotton constructed prison, much to Seimei's pleasure. "Take me. Take me now, Seimei," Soubi pleaded quietly, hooking his arms around Seimei's neck. Blue eyes hazed with desire peered into wine-red ones.

"Make me yours."

A sly grin crawled onto Seimei's lips, then. Sated to leave his jeans and boxers pooled around his knees, Seimei ground his bare erection against Soubi's upper leg, purring his approval. A long, black tail soon curled around Soubi's inner thigh, gripping gently but firmly, beckoning Soubi to spread his legs further apart. Soubi complied to the best of his ability.

"From now on," Seimei murmured almost tenderly, pausing in speech to grip the base of his length and position himself between Soubi's milky thighs. After, he caught Soubi's gaze again. Passion clashed and fogged the air between them, making it difficult for Soubi to breathe. Soon, Seimei rocked forward with no thought whatsoever of holding back. From the crown to the hilt, Seimei forced himself deep within Soubi's warm recesses.

Soubi's eyes pinched shut, his muscles wound up tight in protest. His blond head fell back and he cried out in delicious pleasure-pain.

"… You're mine… Soubi…"

Scratching at Seimei's shoulder blades, gasping for air, Soubi whimpered. The searing burn at his backside accompanied by the overwhelming pleasure from knowing that Seimei was, at long last, inside of him, was a lot to handle at once. Fortunately, Seimei decided to be kind about it and let him adjust at his own pace.

"S- Seimei," Soubi muttered weakly through clenched jowls.

"Does it hurt?"

A subtle nod.

In a soothing manner, Seimei licked from Soubi's collarbone to the underside of his chin. A shudder ran from Point A to Point B on Soubi's body; his groin to his chest.

"Relax," Seimei murmured gently. "Relax for me. The pain will pass."

How could this man be so calm? So calm during something he had never once in his life done? That soft, pleasing tail - which wouldn't make it through the night - ran gently along Soubi's left hip, caressing fair skin with silky fur and a gentle touch. Correspondingly, Soubi reached up and began to rub Seimei's ear between his thumb and middle fingers. Seimei promptly moaned in response.

Soubi was going to miss that erogenous zone like crazy.

"Seimei… I…"

Soubi couldn't say it.

"Shh."

A warm mouth closed over Soubi's to hush him tenderly. Then, Seimei began to move.

A slow, rocking pace set the tempo. Every time Seimei exited, pulled out to the tip, Soubi felt barren. Every time Seimei plunged in to the base, stretched Soubi to the limit, Soubi groaned and just like that, he felt so full. So very full. The pain was gone, replaced with temporary discomfort and that incomparable feeling of completeness. Broad palms ran up and down Seimei's back, caressing gently, the nails attached scratching just slightly.

It wasn't like this the first time. It didn't feel this good the first time. The last time around, Soubi had been too young, too frightened to indulge in the sensation of a lover inside, stretching him, probing, making him feel good.

As far as Soubi was concerned, this _was_ his first time. He and Seimei were losing their ears together.

He could pretend, right?

Base urges began to creep up on Soubi and he began rocking up in time with Seimei's thrusts. When Seimei pulled back, so did Soubi. When Seimei took the forward plunge, Soubi lulled his hips upward and took in that thick shaft as far as his muscles would allow. His insides stretched to what seemed like new lengths every time. Seimei discovered new depths with each gyration and Soubi found himself groaning in wanton abandonment.

It would never be like this again, he decided. No-one could ever fill him this way, make him feel so good.

It felt good, yes. But it felt even better when Seimei came across that gland again.

"Aah!" Soubi cried out, his head falling back, his throat and all its love marks exposed. Seimei began tracing each one, each rosy piece of flesh he had left behind with the length of his tongue.

"Soubi…"

"Seimei," Soubi groaned, bucking up harder than before. His entrance burned, his manhood ached for release, his entire body trembled with every rock of Seimei's pelvis. "… Harder…"

"What was that?" Seimei queried in that tone that said he heard Soubi's request very well, but he wanted to hear it again.

Soubi looked up with glassy cerulean eyes, pleading: "Harder… Please, Seimei… Fuck me _harder_…"

Seimei chuckled throatily and paused in a downward stroke. "You mean like…" A sharp shove into Soubi's depths. Soubi yelped with agonizing pleasure. "Like that?"

"Gods, yes," Soubi breathed out lustily, gasping as he reeled from the pleasure. "Just like that. Please…"

"On your knees," Seimei commanded.

No sooner said than done.

Seimei withdrew from Soubi's body, leaving the blond shaking with pleasure, aching for Seimei's member to be inside again. Soubi obediently turned onto his front, pulled himself up on his hands and knees with his front further down than his backside, his flawless back in a slender arch. Willingly, he offered himself to his younger lover.

Before Soubi had time to catch his lost breath, Seimei had thrust right back in to the hilt. Soubi cried out his name in wanton satisfaction. Broad hands clamped down on either one of Soubi's hips, bracing him, and Seimei thrust harder and harder into Soubi's tightly wound entrance.

To Hell with pride, this was better. With each thrust in this new position, Soubi found himself in an entirely new dimension; a dimension that was composed solely of himself and Seimei. There was no-one else here. No-one to steal Seimei's attentions from him. No-one to come between them or force them to hide their carnal desires for one another. No-one to tell Soubi that it was wrong for him to be so in love with someone who knew and took advantage of that fact on a daily basis, so wrong for him to be feeling so good when he was treated so horribly.

Soubi lost himself entirely to the pleasure, to the feel of Seimei pounding into him like no tomorrow. Once Seimei's motions became more frantic, the (no-longer-such-a-)virgin Seimei reached around Soubi's waist and gripped at Soubi's throbbing erection. That in itself could have made Soubi climax, but the hard pressure there prevented such a thing until Seimei said so.

"Seimei! Gods… Fuck, yes… Touch me… Make me come, Seimei…" Soubi's head hung low as he spoke, blond hair in his eyes, sweat pooling at his roots.

"Come for me," Seimei muttered into Soubi's ear, licking sweetly at the shell. "Come for me…"

Seimei's hand pumped Soubi's length unmercifully in sync with his gyrations. Soubi eagerly rocked into the attentions. Panting, his mouth and throat growing drier, Soubi screwed his eyes shut and fisted the sheets beneath him. Electric pin-prickles dotted his lower half, then his upper half. Silver dashes clouded his vision. Pleasure and incomparable passion made his blood run hot.

It was all he could take.

"_Seimei_!"

With Seimei's hand still stroking, Soubi reached his climax. An opalescent strand of liquid streamed from the crown of his erection, and then another. The fluid stained the sheets, slicked Seimei's doting fingers as he pleasured him through orgasm, making it all the more enjoyable. Soubi's inner muscles clenched tightly around his lover.

That was all it took for Seimei to find release as well.

A guttural groan exited Seimei's lips, hit Soubi's ear. Abandoning the blond's length and gripping tightly at his sides, Seimei thrust hard into Soubi's depths those few final times. Soubi could have sworn something inside of him tore, but he didn't care. He got his reward when Seimei reached his peak and spilled his warm essence into Soubi's waiting body. The hot liquid burned, burned so delightfully badly inside of the blond.

Never before had pain been so sweet.

Spent, Seimei collapsed atop his blond lover, panting heavily against Soubi's sweat-slicked nape. As a result, Soubi felt a bit cooler. Soubi's arms buckled and he dropped to the sheets, breathing deep, his ribs expanding and retracting like mad.

Once Seimei had regained stolen breath, he shifted, gently turning Soubi's head to face him. A kiss of his lips later, and Seimei pulled himself from Soubi's cavern, earning himself a hiss for his efforts.

"Soubi…"

Blue eyes, tired and very satisfied, looked up in the direction of his lover. A small grin curled his lips, then. Soubi turned over onto his back, propped up on his arms a bit enough to see eye to eye with the man above him.

"That was incredible, Seimei…"

Soubi moved his hand up to tenderly stroke Seimei's right ear. In response, the feline appendage flickered and twitched. Seimei purred in approval.

"I'm going to miss these…"

Seimei chuckled. "I'm not." A black feline tail circled Soubi's wrist, tugging playfully until they could lay down together.

"They'll be gone in the morning," Seimei announced.

Outside, the orange sky grew darker. Orange gave way to red, red gave way to maroon. Maroon to brick red, brick red to gray. The world went black.

This would only last so long, Soubi knew. Seimei was a closed off person by nature; no matter how close you were to him, he would never tell you anything for real. He was dead set on his convictions, nothing could make him change his mind. But that night as they lay together, wide awake and in each other's arms, they talked for real. Talked about their lives, talked about the weather, talked about anything and everything that came to mind. Seimei was so laid back right then. So open.

Maybe Soubi could never have Seimei's heart.

But this…

This, he could live with.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed and subscribed to updates:D Any and all feedback gives me the incentive to keep posting. On another note, please keep in mind that Seimei may seem a tad more bearable in these earlier chapters, but I've made him this way for a reason. As opposed to the manga/anime, where he has explicit control over Soubi's life, this piece is in a real life setting where the control is more passive and unspoken, and I found it much easier to work with.

Review if you see fit (please do!) - More to come!

* * *

Soubi had gotten what he wanted.

That was a first.

So why did he still feel so… barren?

Despite the friendly smiles he put on in social events, the front he put up at school, Soubi was _not_ a very happy person on the whole. Ever since he could remember, he had been forced to keep every emotion he ever felt for real a secret, like it was something he was supposed to be ashamed of.

_He_ had made sure of that.

The thought made him scowl and he dropped his head against the back of the bathroom wall. The steam still circulating within the four walls caused breathing to become a tad bit more difficult, but he ignored it. Soubi closed his eyes and focused his frustration the way only one man could have ever taught him how.

He gritted his teeth and took it.

_You expect too much out of things, don't you? _he questioned himself. _What were you expecting? Did you think having Seimei lose his ears to you would make things better? Make things _right_? God, there's something wrong with you, Soubi. Something pathologically, physically, _horribly_ wrong with you…_

Sullen orbs of blue dropped from view when Soubi willed his eyelids down over them.

It wasn't trust he had an issue with. That chestnut was so old that it was just begging to be put out of its misery. He wasn't sure what it was, exactly. All he knew was that something—some_one_—had done something to him that prevented him from ever attaining that complete closeness to a person that he craved so badly. No matter what he did, no matter how he tried, there was always an arm's width of a gap between he and another human being; an invisible wall, an anti-Soubi barrier that he couldn't penetrate. And it was killing him.

Seimei was everything,_everything_ in the world to Soubi. And not an hour ago, Seimei had at last taken him the way he had promised he would. That should have had some sort of effect on the blond's inability to acquire_some_ sort of intimacy with another human being. Right?

_Wrong._

The idea of such a thing having little to no affect on his wretched 'curse' made Soubi sick to his stomach. So many years, so many wasted years, he had unconsciously prevented himself from being with a person. Not even his beloved Aoyagi Seimei had broken through that barrier—the barrier of which was sure to be gathering dust by now, what with never being touched and all.

Soubi heaved a heavy sigh and opened his eyes again to the faint fog of steam. He readjusted his waist towel, brushed a hand through his hair, then stepped out of the bathroom and into the adjacent bedroom where his beloved lay.

Soubi smiled as he saw him lying there. He hadn't honestly thought Seimei would stay for very long afterward. Proven wrong again, he supposed. But he was glad to be wrong this time around. Seimei's attractive ears and tail hadn't fallen off yet, but they would by the time morning rolled around.

Ensuring his hair was at least somewhat dry before he crawled into bed again, Soubi removed the towel around his waist, tossed it aside to the laundry basket in the corner. The cold air against his bare skin resulted in a mild shudder. Quietly, he crept back underneath his black and white striped coverlets, and the creature lying atop his mattress shifted.

Once on his side facing away from the blond, Seimei turned and, in his sleep, pulled Soubi against him again. Soubi, more than willing to oblige, rested his head against the hollow of Seimei's neck, breathing in his scent. Beyond the smell of Soubi's own fresh rain scented shampoo, he could smell the barely-there remnants of Seimei's cologne; sharp, and at the same time, fiery and musky.

That scent suited Seimei to a T and Seimei himself probably knew it.

"Soubi."

"Hm?"

Seimei playfully tugged at a strand of long, blond hair, forcing Soubi to open his eyes to the harsh morning sun shining in his bedroom window.

"If you're expecting Kio home anytime soon, we should probably get up."

"_Should_," Soubi mumbled as he attempted to duck his head underneath the covers.

"Soubi," Seimei chided with a smirk on his face, and Soubi promptly glared at him.

"Just because _you're_ a morning person-"

A pair of dry, but obscenely soft lips covered Soubi's own then, shushing him, and all of Soubi's protests fell out the second story window. Just as Seimei had intended, no doubt. With that expert feather of a touch that Soubi had come to love and hate, Seimei brushed his fingertips to Soubi's neck, eliciting a faint shudder from him.

Moments later, Seimei drew back, briefly slipping the tips of his fingers through Soubi's long hair.

"Ready to get up yet?"

Soubi chuckled. "Yeah."

Sitting up slowly and ruing the sunlight, Soubi knuckled the sleep from his eyes. The same hand used to rub free the imaginary sand then covered his mouth as he heaved a yawn. It was only once he looked back down to the black-haired male at his side that he noticed it.

His ears had finally disappeared.

A small smile crawled onto Soubi's thin lips. He reached over, tentatively drawing his fingers through those wavy black strands, and for once, his hand wasn't met with those adorable little cat ears.

"It's odd," Soubi murmured. Seimei glanced to him questioningly. "Seeing you without ears."

"Oh, that," Seimei chuckled. "I wrapped them up in tissue paper so I can have some replacements made."

Soubi nodded. It wouldn't take any of the shops very long to finish up a pair of ears, it was just the _tail_ that was going to be a hassle.

Seimei smirked then. He pulled himself up and trapped Soubi in yet another of his fiery kisses, lips parted and his tongue flickering in a venomous, teasing manner along Soubi's mouth.

Oh, it was going to take a lot of willpower not to beg Seimei to take him again…

But that was where Soubi's iron-clad will came in handy.

Seimei pulled away, licking at his lips like the cat who ate the canary.

Soubi only smiled.

"Do you want some coffee or something?" asked the blond to the now-earless Seimei.

"That would be nice. I think I'll take a shower first, though."

Soubi nodded.

"Towels are in the shelf by the sink."

Soubi should have figured that Seimei would want to bathe. He did every morning—and every evening—without fail. Just part of mysophobia, Soubi figured.

While Seimei went about his morning ritual, Soubi had a silent battle with his legs. Soubi possessed a will of iron, of course, but so did his legs, both of them seeming to have minds of their own. Nevertheless, the Iron Will won in a matter of moments. Soubi fished his jeans off of the floor and pulled them on, sated to leave his bedroom without a shirt.

With the coffee pot drip, drip, dripping away, Soubi kept himself occupied with an idle stare out the kitchen window.

He had convinced himself, just that morning, that he wasn't going to take his 'curse' to heart right now. Whether he was truly happy about things or not at the moment, he was _content_ with them for now, and that was enough. He and Seimei had a complicated relationship, but that relationship had just taken a step up, hadn't it? Of course it had.

Still, Soubi sometimes wished that his ears had been Seimei's to take. That might have made this whole transition easier.

Soubi shut his eyes.

He wasn't going down that avenue right now. He had just decided not to.

_Stop it. You're dwelling on the past when the past doesn't matter anymore. Just get over it. Think about now, think about last night. That's what you were waiting for, wasn't it? You got your closure, you're just being too much of a drama king to admit it. Knock it the Hell off Soubi, you're starting to irritate yourself._

Oh, joy. Now his subconscious was coaching him.

Soubi probably would have asked himself, 'what next?' Only, he knew that if he did, something completely strange and outlandish would have happened within the next few minutes. Quite frankly, he wasn't up to completely strange and outlandish. Normal and comfortable, that was where he was at, and that was where he was staying, thank you very much.

A strange little buzzing noise got Soubi's attention.

The sound, of course, was his cell phone—currently set to vibrate—going off on the counter, his brain was just running a little slow.

Plucking it up from the tile granite, Soubi didn't bother with checking the caller ID. He simply flipped it open, then placed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Soubi! It's Kio. Look, are you done with whatever you were doing last night, or what? I'm dyin' over here."

Soubi rolled his cerulean eyes. "You can last a while longer."

"What in the Hell are you doing, anyway? I know you don't have a school project; I go to the same school as you, so don't give me that!"

"Is a hotel really so horrible when you're not even paying for it?" Soubi couldn't even remember what excuse he had given Kio the day before. "Just relax. Another hour."

"Didn't you say that you had your cousin coming over or something?"

_I don't even have a cousin. _"… Yeah, that's it."

"You didn't tell me_anything_, Soubi! What are you hiding?"

Soubi sighed and slumped against the kitchen counter. To keep himself entertained, he attempted to comb his hair with his left hand. Damn Kio, anyhow. Always figuring out he had something to hide. Then again, not everybody shoved their roommate to a three star hotel for a whole night for no apparent reason, so…

"Look, I promise I'll tell you when you get back. But not right now."

Tucking his phone between his ear and his shoulder, Soubi went about pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Kio huffed from his end of the line. "You better. I'm putting room service on your bill, I hope you know that."

Just as Soubi had placed the coffee pot back down, he heard the bathroom water being shut off. On instinct, he glanced down the hall. Seimei would be finished up soon.

"Go ahead. I don't mind. Two more hours."

"You said _one_ more hour."

"I lied."

Soubi snapped the phone shut and shook his head. Kio was as old as Soubi, as educated as Soubi, and as capable as Soubi in their career of choice. Problem with Kio was that he just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

Annoying as he was, he made life interesting. Enough said.

After Soubi stirred in his customary packet of sugar and the slightest amount of creamer, he prepared Seimei's. Two packets of sweetener, no creamer. Soubi set it on the counter and went about sipping at his own.

It was only nine in the morning and already, Soubi wanted nothing more than to curl up with his beloved and go to sleep. That wasn't going to happen, he knew. Oh, well.

_Thank God it's Saturday._


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates. I would say I've been busy, but... I'm really just very lazy. D: Nevertheless, I return with another chapter for your reading pleasure. :) There's plenty more to come after this, so please review!

* * *

A frantic call from Seimei awoke Soubi late one spring evening.

"What's wrong? I can barely hear you."

"Soubi, I need you to come over and get Ritsuka. Right now."

Soubi blinked, thoroughly disoriented thanks to the rude wake-up call, and more so because of Seimei's odd request.

"Listen, I can't exactly explain what happened because I don't exactly understand it myself. It's my mother, she's going completely mental."

_Oh, no._

"I'll be right over," was all Soubi could get in before Seimei was forced to hang up.

Concern tinged Soubi's veins. The panic rat set in. He was worried for Seimei, of course. But Ritsuka? He was younger and far more prone to their mother's freak-out moments, Soubi knew from what Seimei had told him. It was in this light that Soubi's worry shone more specifically for the youngest Aoyagi.

Soubi shuffled out of bed and threw on a random shirt and pair of pants from his closet. It was in his rush that Kio rose from his bedroom and wandered into Soubi's.

"Where's the fire?" asked the bleach-blond male from the doorway.

"No time to explain," Soubi muttered as he gathered the essentials from his nightstand; cigarettes, lighter, cell phone. "Seimei's mother is at it again, he wants me to take Ritsuka out of there for a while."

"Does his mother have any idea what time it is?" Kio managed through a yawn.

Soubi eyed his roommate.

Kio backed off.

"Alright, alright. But he's not getting my bed."

Soubi shook his head. "Sometimes you scare me, Kio."

Abandoning the thought of a jacket, despite the faint chill in the air, Soubi left the apartment, his pace set to fast-walk.

What could possibly have set the Aoyagi woman off at this ungodly hour? It had to be two, maybe three in the morning. The possibilities were endless with her, he supposed, and now was hardly the time to be figuring out _why_.

Minutes later, Soubi arrived at the house, and the sounds coming from within caused Soubi to question his next action. Knocking on the door would be a bit out of place, wouldn't it? _Knock, knock. Oh, good evening, Mrs. Aoyagi. Do you mind if I take your son away from here until your brain is back where it's supposed to be?_

That would go over well.

Fortunately, Soubi didn't have to fret over such things. Ritsuka was already outside, looking particularly sullen. Soubi supposed he couldn't have expected any less. What he wasn't expecting was to see a piece of gauze attached to the boy's right cheek and bandages all around his left hand.

When this woman had an episode, she really went all out, didn't she?

Soubi approached the teen sitting on the porch with a tentative caution, his expression as casual as possible under the circumstances. Seimei was right to call him over, this looked to be more serious than at first anticipated.

"Ritsuka," Soubi spoke the boy's name to get his attention.

The boy on the porch jumped a little.

"… Soubi?" Ritsuka questioned, and Soubi nodded. They didn't see each other very often, so it was no wonder that Ritsuka was surprised to see him. Perhaps Seimei hadn't told him who was going to pick him up? Whatever the case, Ritsuka looked a bit more than relieved to see a friendly face.

"Seimei thinks it'll be better for you to stay with me for a little while."

Ritsuka sighed. Black ears so similar to the ones Seimei had lost just a few months before flattened against an equally raven patch of hair. Ritsuka's tail, thin and nervous, curled around his waist.

"He worries a lot," Ritsuka murmured under his breath.

_So he should._

Soubi stepped closer to the porch and held out a hand to the black-haired teen.

"Come on. It's late, I'm sure a quiet place will do you good right about now."

Purple eyes, wide and unnerved, looked up to the blond who was unselfishly offering him a safe haven. Ritsuka hesitated, but after a moment's time, he took Soubi's hand and pulled himself up off the porch.

It had been over a month since Soubi had last seen the boy face to face. The last time was during New Year's, when Seimei had invited him over to his home for his family's annual celebration. Through all the months of having Ritsuka as an acquaintance, Soubi had never once touched him. But in those few seconds when Soubi helped the boy up to his feet, there was a spark that sprung Soubi's long-dormant emotions to life. Something in that boy gave Soubi an electrical charge.

And he still hadn't figured out what.

Ritsuka reached for his hastily packed overnight bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Thanks," he said with hesitation. "For letting me stay with you."

Soubi smiled. "My pleasure."

A short walk to Soubi's house proved deathly quiet on Ritsuka's part. Soubi had expected this, of course, but he hadn't been prepared for it. Most of his mind was set firmly on Seimei, wondering how well he was fairing with Hurricane Misaki hurdling into the Port of Aoyagi.

_And now, a special bulletin for residents of Aoyagi County__¾__a hurricane watch is in effect until 12PM tomorrow. Repeat, a hurricane watch is in effect until 12PM tomorrow. Citizens should be advised to__¾_

Lovely state of affairs for a thirteen-year-old boy, Soubi told himself. What kind of stability could he possibly have in that household? More to the point, how did he turn out so _normal_? Not that 'normal' was a household word with Agatsuma Soubi, but the question just begged to be asked. Soubi's own surroundings had been questionable when he was Ritsuka's age_¾__and just look at how _that_ turned out, Soubi, old bean._ Soubi theorized that maybe, just maybe, both Ritsuka and his brother had acquired some sort of strong mentality from their father. Whoever he was. Soubi hadn't the faintest idea about that.

It was in this state of awkward silence that Soubi reached for the cigarettes in his back pocket.

Ritsuka piped up. "How old are you?"

Eyes of deep cerulean peered down to the teen at his side. Soubi found himself more or less relieved for Ritsuka to have broken the silence, rather than himself. It would have seemed a little… pushy, for the lack of better terminology.

"Twenty-one last month," Soubi replied candidly as he propped a cigarette between the corner of his lips.

Ritsuka's eyes seemed to widen a little bit at that. "Really?"

Soubi nodded. "Why?" he asked. He raised a hand to cup the area surrounding his cigarette, shielding it from the brusque breeze that blew across, holding the flame of his lighter beneath the tip of the rolled tobacco.

A hesitation from the younger male.

"It's nothing…" Ritsuka went quiet again, and Soubi almost frowned.

Soubi dragged from his cigarette to clear his head, and he found (rather randomly) that tobacco tasted a bit odd when smoked on the go. Why was that? He had no idea. Something about the shift of the wind or something vague like that.

"It's just that…" Somehow, Soubi knew Ritsuka would open up the topic again.

"I don't know. You just look a little younger to me."

_Should I be offended by that?_

_Probably not._

"You look a little younger, so seeing you without… you know, ears… was a little shock, that's all."

Oh, so that was it. Observant little one, Soubi had to give him credit for that.

"Ah, I see," Soubi murmured before he took another cancerous drag. "I haven't had them for quite a while now."

Ritsuka looked a little flustered. How adorable.

No. _No._ He absolutely, positively, _absolutely_ refused to think of a thirteen-year-old boy as adorable. Charming, yes. Intelligent, yes. Adorable? Not if Soubi could help it. He had set that rule for himself long ago. He wouldn't repeat the mistake someone else had made so long ago.

Adorable, indeed…

… _But he is. He really is._

_There you go again. God, what's wrong with you, Agatsuma? Sometimes, I wonder if you fell right on your head or something at birth. Might explain one or two things about you, I tell you that much._

Soubi wondered if it was just barely becoming a habit of his to ramble on in his head so much, or if he had always been doing it and it was only just occurring to him. Whatever it was, it was going to stop. And quickly, too.

"How old were you when you lost them?" Ritsuka dared to glance over with a raise of his eyebrow, only to take it back a millisecond later. "No, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. Personal question, I'm sorry."

Soubi couldn't have prevented the chuckle that rose from his throat. There he was, flustered again. And like it or not, it _was_ adorable. Seimei never looked like that.

"Don't be silly," Soubi interjected with a wave of his hand. Idly, he flicked his cigarette free of its trembling ashes. The embers burned on and sent spirals of lonely smoke up into the stars.

"I was-"

Wait.

That was it.

That was _it_.

That was where Seimei and Ritsuka differed.

Seimei _never_ looked like that; flustered, confused, embarrassed. He never did. To Soubi, Seimei had always been an idol of sorts, a living statue, one that smiled when it was called for, frowned when it was called for, and dared not make a fool of himself in front of anyone else. He saw all, knew all, and he let you know just who was the boss.

Seimei had a near-crippling fear of germs and a horrid outlook on people in general_¾_whether or not the people who knew him were aware of such a thing_¾_and he always took things serious. He was a bit of a cynic, but he never had a fear. That, Soubi supposed, was one of the things Soubi loved about him.

But it was also one of the things he _hated_ about him.

Soubi would never admit it, of course. Everyone thought Soubi idolized the man, which he supposed he did, and harbored no bad thoughts about him whatsoever.

Which he did.

Was that so wrong?

Seimei _never_ looked like that…

Ritsuka did.

Ritsuka, thirteen years old, naïve on a few levels and brilliant on others. Ritsuka, thirteen years old, open to the world and (thus far) showing signs of open-mindedness. Ritsuka dared to tread where his brother did not.

Ritsuka dared to _live_.

That was where they differed.

"Soubi?" Ritsuka called his name after Soubi had drifted into the chambers of his cloudy mind.

Soubi shook his head, almost as though that would shake him back into the world of the living.

"I was as old as you are now, Ritsuka," Soubi told him, nonplussed, as though he had never stopped talking to begin with.

Violet eyes widened.

"Are you… serious?"

"Quite serious." A somber look came across Soubi's fair complexion, but that faint, ghost of a smile, never went anywhere.

"It's complicated," Soubi added after a moment, not a hint of venom in his voice, the way the poison might have been present, were he recollecting on his own. "You should be glad you still have yours."

Soubi's long arm reached over, and he playfully tussled Ritsuka's raven ears. He earned a smile for his efforts, and that was enough to lighten the tension around his shoulders.

Extinguishing his cigarette a minute or so later, the rest of the walk to Soubi's apartment proved to be light on the heart. Ritsuka had calmed down considerably, his sullen look vanished, and replacing his heavy expression was one of utter vibrancy.

Again, a point where Ritsuka and Seimei differed. Seimei was frequently content, but never vibrant. So full of life.

Ritsuka was.

Once they approached Soubi's apartment, the blond was surprised when he spotted Kio still up and at 'em.

"Ah, welcome home, Soubi!" chirped Kio, ten thousand times more energetic than he had been when Soubi left.

Soubi blinked in confusion, but paid it no mind. He should have been used to these things by now.

"Ritsuka," Soubi said to the teen at his side, "this is Kio. Kio, Ritsuka; Seimei's little brother."

"Ah, so you're the one," Kio chimed before he popped a lime green lollipop into his mouth.

Ritsuka blinked. "Excuse me?"

Soubi elaborated, as Kio was far too occupied with his candy_¾_which, he decided, was the reason he was so energetic. "Seimei is around here a lot, and he mentions you rather frequently."

"Oh." Ritsuka nodded. He said nothing about it, but the smile tugging on the teen's lips told Soubi that he was inwardly gloating over that fact.

Soubi knew as well as Ritsuka did how much Ritsuka idolized his elder brother. Why shouldn't he? Seimei was a good role model for thirteen-year-old's_¾_given, of course, that the thirteen-year-old's in question didn't know what he did with Soubi behind closed doors. Aside from that, it was all hunky-dory, okie-dokie, and all that other stuff.

"Hey, kid," Kio called to the boy. "You like candy?"

"Kio," Soubi chided, "You have absolutely no idea how pedophilic that sounds."

A long hand laid atop Ritsuka's shoulders and Soubi murmured into his ear, just loud enough for Kio to hear, "Don't eat anything he gives you that you haven't seen him eat himself." Soubi paused, then added, "Even then, it might not be safe."

"Hey!" Kio shouted.

Both Ritsuka and Soubi wound up laughing at the bleach-blond Kio's expense.

"I resent that!" Resorting to pouting, Kio took his lollipop out of his mouth and shook the emerald orb at the end of the stick at his roommate and the black-haired teen beside him.

"Sleep with one eye open, Soubi. If you don't, I just might-"

"Kio, please," Soubi interjected as he led Ritsuka into the hall. "Not in front of the children."

Ritsuka had to stifle a laugh. His black tail frantically twitched at his side, almost as though it had some smart-alecky remark that it was just dying to blurt out_¾_only, it didn't have a voice box to blurt with.

"Hey, where are you goin'?"

"I'm giving him your room for the night, Kio."

"What?!"

Soubi laughed candidly at his friend's expense and quickly ushered Ritsuka into the bedroom at the end of the hall before Kio could throw his little fit. He shut the door, locked it, and shook his head once he heard Kio start to rant.

"You sure it'll be alright, me taking his room?" Ritsuka asked as he switched on the light.

Soubi waved a hand. "He'll get over it." Turning, Soubi directed his slightly raised voice half to Ritsuka, half to the door where he knew Kio was eavesdropping, "I'll tell him he can sleep with _me _on _my_bed and he'll be fine."

"Score!" came the voice from behind the door. "Keep the room as long as you want, kid!" And then, Kio scrambled away.

A shake of Soubi's head voiced his idle concern for Kio's mental health. It was no secret that Kio was a blatant homosexual and _blatantly_ attracted to Soubi. Physically only, of course. So sharing Soubi's bed, if just for one night, meant that Christmas was coming twice this year for poor, demented little Kio.

"I think he's had one too many lollipops," Ritsuka said with a chuckle. He set down his overnight bag by the bed.

Soubi was inclined to agree.

"You must be tired," said the blond as he himself suppressed a yawn. "The bathroom is right across the hall if you want to take a shower or something, and you're more than welcome to scrounge up something in the kitchen if you get hungry."

Ritsuka smiled graciously. "Thanks, Soubi."

"No problem." Soubi turned to leave, but as he opened the door, he just couldn't help one more jab at his roommate's expense.

"By the way, if you hear something heavy falling on the floor in the middle of the night, it just means Kio has overstayed his welcome."

"I heard that!" Kio yelled from the living room.

Soubi rolled his eyes and went to close the door.

"Um… Soubi?" Ritsuka beckoned just before Soubi could leave. The blond ducked his head back in the doorway.

"Yes?"

Ritsuka fumbled with his hands for a moment, and Soubi couldn't help but notice that, between Ritsuka's effervescent intervals_¾_which occupied his countenance more often than not_¾_came unnerving fits of anxiety.

"Do you think… Seimei will be alright over there, all by himself?"

Purple eyes, shimmering, innocent and worried, looked to Soubi, hoping for the answer he had already conjured for himself.

Soubi's features fell a little. Ritsuka's worry transferred to him and doubled. He could feel the fear in Ritsuka's eyes, and the sudden longing for another person's presence, if only for that moment. It was in that light that Soubi stepped back into Kio's bedroom_¾_Ritsuka's, until further notice_¾_and shut the door behind him.

Only once they had their privacy did Soubi offer a small smile.

"He'll be alright. Your brother is a pretty tough customer when he wants to be."

Ritsuka nodded uneasily. "I know, I'm just…" He couldn't speak anymore. His voice had taken to shaking, and anything he tried to say would only come out a jumbled, quaking mess.

The tears would come next.

Soubi stepped closer to the boy. He leaned down a little_¾_seeing as how Ritsuka only came up to the middle of Soubi's chest_¾_and wrapped a comforting arm over Ritsuka's shoulders.

"It'll be alright," the older man murmured to the teen, who collapsed rather unwittingly into the blond man's arms.

Ritsuka shut his eyes and leaned fully against Soubi, losing all sense of stubborn pride that prevented him from crying in anyone else's presence. He buried his face in Soubi's neck and held onto his shirt, almost as though that would keep him grounded in the real world until he decided to stop crying. Whenever that was.

Soubi repeated the words, "it'll be alright," a few times over until Ritsuka's breathing calmed a little. Only then did his long arms pluck the boy up from the floor and tote him to Kio's messy bed. Soubi laid him down and sat gingerly on the edge of the mattress.

"Hey," Soubi murmured gently while he combed through Ritsuka's unruly black hair. "It'll all blow over tomorrow. Things'll look better then. You'll see."

Even through the tears, Soubi's voice had caused a small smile in the crease of those trembling teenage lips.

"Thank you… Soubi."

Soubi left the bedroom without another word, merely turned once he reached the doorway to switch off the overhead light and give Ritsuka one last, friendly smile. After the fact, he maneuvered his way into the living room where Kio sat upon the wood panel flooring, sucking on his lollipop.

"You know, you would've made a great big brother for someone," Kio broke the silence while Soubi lit a cigarette. His playful attitude was gone, the rarely seen_¾_but greatly missed_¾_Serious taking its place. Soubi rather liked Serious in times like these. It made him feel like he wasn't the only one who could keep a cool head when everyone else's were exploding.

Soubi exhaled a smoky breath and closed his eyes.

"You alright?" Kio asked, scooting over on his knees until he was right in front of Soubi, who only nodded.

Concerned for his friend, and putting his flirting aside, Kio laid a hand atop Soubi's arm. He took his lollipop from his mouth and thought for a few moments.

"Things'll be fine in the morning, you said so yourself."

Soubi nodded again. "I know."

Kio stood and utilized his free hand to rub at the junction between Soubi's neck and shoulder. That area always seemed to be tense, more so when Soubi was worried, and Kio made it a habit to knead out the rough spots whenever he found an opportunity. And right now, when Soubi knew he wasn't up to his childish flirting, seemed like the perfect time.

Breathing in the carbon monoxide fumes, Soubi rubbed at his left temple and exerted a tired breath. He really was tired. But how could he sleep right now, when his worry for Seimei had resurfaced?

_I'm not worried about Seimei. Seimei can take care of himself. He's dealt with that woman on his own countless times before, I'm sure he can do it again. I'm worried about Ritsuka… I'm sure he's seen his mother go into fits like this before, but it's never gotten so bad that Seimei had to have him hide out until it was over. He must be shaken up pretty badly…_

"Sometimes I wonder how you can draw at all with these rocks for shoulders," Kio told him, almost scolding him. He put his candy in his mouth, the stick hanging out from the corner of his full lips, freeing both hands to massage Soubi's shoulders.

Soubi chuckled at that. "I wonder about that, myself," he confessed as he opened his eyes to a haze of smoke.

Kio's brow furrowed, but Soubi couldn't see it.

"You should really find some time for a vacation this spring," Kio told him as he kneaded away the knots in Soubi's aching back. "All to yourself. A trip to a hot spring, maybe. You've been really stressed out lately."

"I should," Soubi groaned as he bowed his head and went back to sucking on his cigarette.

"But you won't." Kio sighed, exasperated. "Alright, that just means that I'm going to have to give you a back rub every day until you get some of that stolen energy back. How's that sound?"

Soubi smiled, one of his rare, sincere smiles. Hardly anyone saw those anymore. Kio did, though, once in a while, and more often than most. The truth of the matter was that Kio gave a damn about Soubi in his own little way, which was enough to lighten his mood a little bit.

"You know what, Kio?"

"Hm?"

Soubi looked back to his friend with that same, genuine smile on his lips.

"That actually sounds pretty damn good."

Kio beamed, but said nothing more about it.


	7. Chapter 7

Updates between chapters seem to be running very slow... My bad. I have no excuse. On the the story!

PS: I love reviews very much. :) 

* * *

"Ritsuka. It's Soubi."

"Soubi!"

Soubi could just imagine Ritsuka's tail swishing back and forth, the way it always did when he used that tone of voice; one of an excited child. Given, a sixteen-year-old wasn't really a child, but it was to Soubi, now twenty-four and an art teacher at the local college.

It was on his way out of the airport at four o'clock on the dot that he gave Ritsuka a call. Ritsuka's high school let out at three-thirty every day, save for those wonderful Wednesdays when teachers had nothing better to do than to let their students leave around noon. Such convenience for Soubi, whose class didn't take place on Wednesdays.

Ritsuka's sixteenth birthday had just passed. He and a gaggle of his friends had gone to the amusement park that day to celebrate_¾_so Soubi was told. He hadn't been there. Family matters had dragged him out of town that day to Osaka. Blasted family… Since when did they bother him anymore?

It hadn't been a pleasant visit, either. Not really, anyhow. They all smiled, sipped their tea, acted like civilized human beings, but it was the utter fakeness of it that made Soubi want to retch. It was the cool-as-plastic behavior that made him despise these little get-togethers. His cousin's coming of age ceremony didn't interest him in the least, but it was his sense of duty that forced him to attend. Kio had taken Soubi's place at his art class for that week he was gone.

Drat the luck, anyhow. A sixteenth birthday was a big one. Soubi mentally vowed to make it up to the young Aoyagi.

"I just got back into town," said Soubi over the hustle and bustle of Narita Airport. Just to his right, a child marveled at the luggage carousel spinning around and around as Soubi waited for his suitcase to surface.

"I know. The screen says your flight just arrived."

Soubi blinked. "Screen?"

"Yeah! I'm standing in front of the escalators by McDonald's."

A smile tugged at Soubi's thin lips. "You came to the airport? I didn't expect you to do that."

"I wanted to surprise you. I've been here all afternoon," said Ritsuka.

Again, Soubi blinked in surprise. "Don't you have school?"

"Nope!" Ritsuka chirped, and once again, Soubi could imagine that black tail of his swaying in excitement. "There were teacher conferences today, so they called off school for the day."

How thoughtful was this adolescent!

"I see," Soubi murmured. "Well, I would be down by the escalators already, but my bag hasn't turned up yet."

"Did it get lost?"

"No, no. Luggage carousels here take their time, apparently."

"Oh. Well, I can wait. I would go up there, but all that security business…"

"I don't blame you," Soubi concurred with a mild roll of his eyes at the thought. Their damned metal detectors and their damned wands, which, to Soubi, looked more like handheld vacuum cleaners than security devices, saving the world one dust bunny at a time.

Almost on cue, a midnight blue suitcase surfaced betwixt a hideous red duffle bag and a child's backpack, pink in color, with prominent purple daisies adorning its cover.

"Ah, here it is." Soubi scooped up the suitcase and checked the name on it.

**Agatsuma Soubi**

"I'll just be a few minutes. It's not far to the escalators from here."

"Okay!" Ritsuka chimed. "I'm at the benches now. I'll watch for ya."

Soubi chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Alright."

Their call ended and Soubi meandered toward the elevator, dragging the roll-along suitcase behind him.

It was a nice surprise to have Ritsuka there to meet him. If anything, he would have expected Seimei to be there at the gate, waiting around for Soubi to surface so he could drag him off to his car for a quickie. Soubi sighed at that.

Four years, and still_just _a sex toy. What was more, no-one even knew that Seimei was no longer a no-less-than-pure virgin. He still wore clip-on ears everywhere he went, save for when he was in Soubi's company and behind closed doors, in which case, he tore them off, tossed them in a corner somewhere to collect dust while he went about claiming the blond. Nothing had changed there.

But who was Soubi to complain? He never told Seimei to stop. He couldn't.

At least this way, he could give Seimei what he wanted. At least this way, he wouldn't be a complete failure. At least this way, he had a reason to get out of bed every morning.

Given, it was a pretty shallow reason.

Seimei was in it for the sex and Soubi was in it for the sake of a purpose. After all…

What else was he good for, besides being used?

What would Soubi be without that?

_Nothing_.

Not a goddamned thing.

Just another man without a reason for breathing.

His will had been cracked years and years ago, and Seimei had completely shattered what was left of it. The tiny fragments that had been left behind were far too small to be repaired; far too sharp to handle. The only thing that killed Soubi every time was… _Seimei knew that_. He knew very well what he was doing and made no attempt to stop or change.

And Soubi never tried to make him stop or change.

A minute or two later and the escalator was in sight. Soubi stepped onto the moving platform and leaned against the railing, blue eyes combing the crowd for a familiar set of ears.

He needn't have looked far. Ritsuka waved to him from the line of benches and potted plants.

Suddenly, everything looked a little brighter, and it wasn't the change in fluorescent lighting. No, it was the presence of Aoyagi Ritsuka that illuminated Soubi's world. Ritsuka, who was so much like Seimei in physical form, and yet… so _un_like him.

Seimei was manipulative and vindictive.

Ritsuka was laid-back and amiable.

Seimei was a smooth-talker and a liar.

Ritsuka was a jokester and, overall, too adorably naïve to lie about… well… anything.

Seimei and Ritsuka were perfect antonyms, and Soubi guessed that neither one of them was even aware of it.

Given…

Ritsuka had a side that hardly anyone else ever saw. Thanks to his mother, he had two separate sides to him, two completely different attitudes. While he was usually happy-go-lucky and carefree, he could also be dark and broody, albeit only when he had just been victimized by the matriarch of the Aoyagi household. Aside from that, he was happy as could be. Just your average fifteen-year-old to the public eye… and so unique in Soubi's.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka called the blond over eagerly.

Soubi, rather content with finally being in the presence of his secret _crush_, grinned and made his way over. Ritsuka greeted him with open arms_¾_literally; he pounced on Soubi in a hug the moment they were within two feet of each other. It was all Soubi could do not to fall over.

The blond chuckled and wrapped his arms around the young Aoyagi's waist.

"I missed you," Ritsuka mumbled into Soubi's shoulder. His ears laid back, his tail swished to and fro. Soubi affectionately rubbed behind those feline ears of his, eliciting pleasured purrs from the teen.

They had grown close. Maybe too close. Ritsuka probably had no idea of just how badly Soubi had it for him…

No idea at all.

"I missed you, too," Soubi muttered, setting Ritsuka back down upon the tiled floor. His arms refused to let go.

"How've you been getting along without me?" Soubi teased, ruffling up Ritsuka's unruly bangs.

Ritsuka laughed some. "It's been boring. Seimei's been so busy with school that I only see him at night anymore."

Ah, yes. Seimei had enrolled in business school to get his Master's.

"It does keep one busy," Soubi concurred.

"Let's get going," the blond said after a moment, once more taking the handle of his suitcase into his palm. "I want to get unpacked before I get too lazy and never get around to it."

Maneuvering through Narita proved a difficult task; so many pushy pedestrians who wanted to be the first to reach the door. It proved harder than once anticipated to get out of there without bruises!

When the two reached the roundabout full of hotel transports, limousines and cabs, Soubi kept a weather eye out for a vacant one.

"Hey… Soubi."

"Hm?" Soubi turned to his cat-eared companion.

"Can I ask you something?"

Soubi nodded. "Anything."

"Are you and my brother…"

Soubi could have sworn his heart stopped for a split second.

"Are we what?" Soubi asked tentatively.

Ritsuka's face went red, and he shook his head quickly.

"Nothing, nothing… Never mind." The teen smiled and shrugged it off, but Soubi couldn't help but be a little nervous about it.

Did Ritsuka know something he wasn't supposed to know?

Whatever it was, it was going to have to wait a moment. A taxi had just pulled up to the curb, empty as anything, just calling Soubi's name. Soubi shuffled over to the blatantly yellow car, had the cabbie open up the trunk where he deposited his suitcase, and then it was off to his apartment complex.

No longer did Soubi room with Kio. However… Kio only lived one floor below Soubi himself. The two would never be too far apart, Soubi had theorized in elementary school. In those days, Kio lived across the street. They attended the same schools from then on, and even to that very day_¾_Kio taught a class just down the hall from Soubi. Soubi taught classic-style painting, and Kio taught a more… radical art class that generally consisted of darts, water balloons, Marilyn Manson and fans to splatter paint swatches.

Such an odd man. Soubi wondered sometimes if all that sugar from all those lollipops had finally gone to his head.

When they reached Soubi's apartment, Ritsuka brought it up again. And with the same words, no less.

"Soubi, are you and my brother…"

Soubi set down his suitcase and turned to Ritsuka, giving him his full attention.

"Well, I…" Ritsuka flushed and looked away. His ears went flat.

"Are we what, Ritsuka?"

"Are you guys… going out? There, I said it! So are you?" All of a sudden, Ritsuka went from embarrassed to curious. His ears twitched and his burgundy eyes shimmered.

Now it was Soubi's turn to find himself at a loss for words. It wasn't in his nature to look away, so he didn't. But he had never wanted to so much as he did right then.

"Ritsuka, it's… complicated."

"I knew it." Ritsuka flopped down on Soubi's stark white couch with a huff of air.

A moment of silence between the two.

"… How?"

"How did I find out?"

"Mm."

Ritsuka twirled a strand of his wild raven hair around his bandaged finger and blushed again.

"Well, it… it was years ago, but…"

Soubi had a feeling he was in for a long conversation. Sighing, he perched upon a black ottoman in front of his coffee table, folded his arms and sat back, readying himself for whatever Ritsuka had to throw at him.

"I didn't even know who you were then…"

_What is he talking about?_

"I was twelve. Mom had just made dinner. She sent me upstairs to get Seimei, and I saw you guys… on his bed… doing stuff."

Again, Soubi's heart skipped a beat. If his heart kept doing that, he was going to have some serious internal problems.

Soubi went silent. Dead silent.

"But I wasn't looking in on purpose, I swear," Ritsuka defended himself ahead of time. "It was an accident! He usually keeps his door locked…"

"… How much did you see?" Soubi dared to ask.

"Not much…" Ritsuka twiddled his thumbs nervously. "You still had all of your clothes on, so…"

_Thank God for that._

"Ritsuka," Soubi muttered before Ritsuka could get another word in. "Have you… said anything about this to Seimei?"

"No! No, of course not. I don't think I could talk to him about _that_."

"But you can talk to me about it?" Soubi questioned.

"Well, yeah…"

Was he dreaming, or was Ritsuka actually saying that it was simpler to talk to _Soubi_ about such things rather than _Seimei_?

Shaking it off, Soubi placed his hand against the side of his head, reeling with a tinge of disbelief with just a splash of shock. He had feelings for this boy, for crying out loud, only to find out that the object of his affections had seen him in the arms_¾_and the _bed__¾_of another man?

Not as if those feelings would amount to reality, anyhow.

_Get a hold of yourself, Soubi._

"Do me a favor, Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka's ears perked up.

Soubi smiled a bit nervously at the teen.

"Don't mention this to Seimei. Please. I don't know how he would take it."

Actually, Soubi knew just how Seimei would take it. He would lash out. He would lash out and he would take said lashing out on none other than Soubi himself, probably in the most demeaning way possible; in bed, the way Soubi was so usually victimized when Seimei was in a mood, the target of whatever utensil of punishment Seimei saw fit for that particular evening. Afternoon. Morning. Whatever it was at the time. Seimei was a bona fide sadist, and Soubi his masochist. That was just the way it went.

"I won't, I won't," Ritsuka said quickly, shaking his head.

Soubi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

"… You wanna play some videogames?" Ritsuka asked hopefully, a sheen in his gorgeous burgundy eyes.

A smile crawled across Soubi's lips.

"I've never been so relieved to hear you ask me that."

It was over these crucial months in Ritsuka's sixteenth year that Soubi grew more and more attached to the young Aoyagi. Ritsuka resembled Seimei more than he would ever know in so many different ways, but it was in those drastic differences between the subtleties that appealed to Soubi the most. While for as long as Soubi could remember, only Kio, his best friend and confidante, could elicit Soubi's playfulness and softer side, Ritsuka had managed to bring the real Soubi to the surface more times than he could count. And without even trying, too.

Did Ritsuka have any idea just how deeply he was affecting Soubi?

He hadn't a clue.

Ritsuka's life was as normal as normal could be¾if one overlooked the abusive mother and all. He went to school, got his mediocre grades, spent time with his friends. It was just going so smoothly, not only for Ritsuka, but for Seimei and Soubi as well.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

The end came all too suddenly. All too quickly. All at once.

In the early summer of Ritsuka's fifteenth year, things changed.

Drastically.


	8. Chapter 8

Updates are running a little slow, aren't they? D: I've been slacking off so badly lately. Time to step it up.

Thank you all for your support. :) I'm immensely proud of this story, so please keep that feedback coming!

* * *

Seimei was not at all gentle with Soubi. He never had been, not since the start of their physical relationship. But tonight, that fact was proven more so.

Rough hands, broad and possessive, gripped Soubi's hips to hold him in place while Seimei took him from behind. Nails scraping, Seimei ground into him unmercifully, repetitively, harsh to the point of forcing Soubi to bite into the pillow he clutched beneath his head.

Some part of Soubi loved this; to be dominated and controlled. At a very early age, he had been taught¾programmed, even—that this was the only way he was of any use. It was an ancient sort of ideal, really, but it was the only one that Soubi had ever known. He didn't complain. If it pleased Seimei, his Seimei, his beloved, he would endure anything.

Soubi could hear Seimei muttering raw encouragements into his ear, urging him on and making him blush. Seimei's obscenely soft skin now felt coarse, his velvety voice of great contrast. With blond hair mussed and speckled with perspiration, blue eyes glazed, Soubi bowed his head and took his abuse without question, without objection. His guttural groans spoke enough; granted, they had to be muffled by Seimei's mattress and pillows. They were in Seimei's home, after all.

Sometime after midnight, Seimei had called Soubi here. He had not said why, but Soubi already knew. Compliant as always, he turned up fifteen minutes later to an amorously aggressive Seimei who pushed the blond onto his bed not ten seconds after laying eyes on him. No words were exchanged; only hot pants for air and whimpers (the latter on Soubi's part).

While Seimei was usually one for brutally teasing foreplay, he did not waste time with that tonight. Rather, he took what he wanted without any hesitation whatsoever. Seimei didn't bother to prepare Soubi properly, either. But Soubi didn't care.

Whatever pleased Seimei…

"Say my name, Soubi," Seimei commanded, winding his hands into Soubi's thick blond hair and giving it one good yank. Soubi yelped, gasped for air.

"Seimei…"

A particularly sharp thrust later and Soubi cried out—more in agony than pleasure. He quickly clapped both hands over his mouth in an attempt to stifle the last half of it. Not a moment later did Seimei tear both palms away from Soubi's mouth, instead forcing the arms attached to lock over the blond's head. In this position, Soubi had to fight considerably to stay balanced on his knees.

"I don't care if they hear anymore," Seimei growled, one hand securing Soubi's wrists and the other scratching roughly down Soubi's back. He earned a sharp hiss for his efforts. "I like it when you scream."

Soubi wound his eyes shut. The pain at his back and the crushing pressure at his front was getting to be a bit much. He could barely breathe this way, but oxygen proved to be a trivial item in comparison to his throbbing member just aching for completion.

"Scream for me," Seimei muttered sharply, soon clamping his ivory canines down into Soubi's shoulder.

The ample amount of pain was enough to elicit a moan from Soubi's throat, but it seemed not to satiate Seimei's appetite.

Reiterating, Seimei yanked roughly at Soubi's pretty blond head. "I said I don't care if they hear!" he barked, pounding ever-harder into Soubi's depths. With every stroke of the nerves hidden inside of his core, Soubi panted, writhed, groaned beneath the perspiring body of his lover. He had no qualms over crying out in the privacy of his own home where he knew they would not be bothered or heard. But this was not his home. This was Seimei's home. Aoyagi Misaki was right down the hall and Ritsuka…

Ritsuka's room was just across from Seimei's. That made him more nervous than anything. As Ritsuka's unofficial babysitter, the last thing Soubi wanted to do was explain the sounds coming from Seimei's room at this ungodly hour of the night the next time they were in each other's company.

Oh, that would be uncomfortable…

But nowhere near as uncomfortable as Soubi was going to be if he didn't comply with Seimei's command. In that light, the following grind of Seimei's hips was greeted with a sharp, unhindered cry on Soubi's part. He had to force it (mostly), but it was well worth the effort; Seimei rewarded him with much-needed attention to Soubi's neglected length. Stroking, fondling roughly, Seimei pleasured his blond lover that way.

It made the pain worthwhile.

What seemed like hours later, when only mere minutes had passed, Seimei reached his end and allowed Soubi his. It was only after the fact that Soubi realized just how sore he was—how sore he was going to be in the morning.

It mattered not.

Seimei's hunger was satisfied.

That mattered more than Soubi's discomfort.

Seimei offered Soubi a few tissues to clean up with, then wordlessly meandered to the other side of the room and through the door to his private bathroom. Soubi knew from experience that Seimei needed his after-the-deed shower, else his entire persona would be thrown off.

Quietly, Soubi curled up in the sheets and closed his eyes. He wouldn't fall asleep. He wouldn't… He promised himself he wouldn't…

To the sound of water cascading onto tile floors, Soubi nodded off.

In what seemed like moments later in Soubi's groggy state, a drawer opening and sliding shut woke him from his light slumber. Soubi abruptly sat up.

"Take care of him," Seimei murmured while he shuffled around his room, packing his bags. He never once paused to look at the bewildered Soubi on his bed, blue eyes blinking and confused.

"What?" Soubi asked, tentative.

"Ritsuka," Seimei replied, nonplussed. "I want to make sure he's taken care of, since I cannot."

"But…" Sitting up, Soubi went about finding his jeans amongst the mess of clothes on the foot of the bed. Granted, his balance was a little off, and it took a few blind gropes in the dark, but he finally managed.

A glance at the wall clock told Soubi it was approximately five in the morning.

"Seimei, what's going on?"

"I can't explain now," said Seimei, finally casting his burgundy gaze to the cerulean pools belonging to his lover. "But I have to leave. And I have to leave now."

Soubi was never one to pry. Especially not with Seimei. But with this, he simply couldn't help himself. After all, things had been as normal as they ever were just hours before, and now…

Not so much.

Finally finding it in him to stand, Soubi stepped forward. The slightest movement on Seimei's part, however, caused Soubi to freeze.

"Why, Seimei? Why now? I mean… Are you even going to tell Ritsuka you're leaving? Your mother? Seimei, you've…" The hard look in Seimei's eyes silenced Soubi for the moment. But, for Ritsuka, he pressed on.

Soubi fell silent then, and turned away. He had overstepped his boundaries to question Seimei that way. One of the unspoken conditions of their relationship was that Seimei called the shots. Seimei told Soubi what to do. Seimei asked Soubi questions. Not the other way around. Soubi felt strange to have the tables turned, but… he had to know.

He had to know for himself, and for Ritsuka. Ritsuka, whose life would be forever changed if Seimei were to disappear. Ritsuka adored his older brother the way Soubi once had; body, mind and soul alike. He would be crushed… Moreover, he would not understand.

"Soubi," Seimei bit out from behind clenched jowls, stepping toward the blond with long, confident strides. "I can't. I can't tell you."

Questioning sapphires peered in his direction and Seimei voiced the answer to the query Soubi had not yet uttered: "Or Ritsuka."

Why did Soubi worry so about the little brother?

Seimei sighed, distraught. "I can't go into detail now," Seimei concluded, returning to his dutiful packing as though nothing had happened. "But trust me when I say that it's for the best. I'm looking out for my little brother in leaving."

Soubi could only nod. Granted, he didn't want to leave it at that. It left questions without their answers and doors on their hinges; open, vulnerable to unreliable speculation.

That didn't matter.

To Soubi, at least, Seimei's word was law. If Seimei said it was for the best, then it was for the best.

"… Very well," Soubi muttered in defeat, falling back and leaning against the wall. He waited there in silence, blissful silence, as Seimei zipped up his backpack and another bag full of clothes.

Why did he do this?

Seimei walked all over Soubi time after time after time… after time. So many times, in fact, that it yanked Soubi to the end of his tether. Even so, Soubi had an endless string of patience, or so it would seem. He took the abuse in silence, the only way he knew how, and left it there to rot among the remnants of his neglected emotions. He supposed it was just how he was meant to live; as a crutch for those who had no other means of support, as a place to lean, a scratching post, a sounding board for the world.

Soubi wasn't a martyr. He didn't pity himself. But sometimes… he wanted it all to stop. Love was supposed to be a two-way street, and there was Soubi, at a blatant dead end. A point of no return. A grisly reminder that, Seimei or no Seimei, Soubi was destined to be alone.

It was true what they said. The abused always cling to their abuser.

"You understand," Seimei said, stepping close to Soubi and running the backs of his fingertips along the pale cheek of the blond, "that I cannot contact you."

Soubi nodded.

"Promise me that you'll take care of him."

"I promise."

"Promise me that you will never breathe a word of this. Ritsuka isn't to know that you saw me leave."

"I promise."

"Love him the way you love me."

Soubi went quiet.

"Promise me," Seimei demanded, his brow furrowed. "You're the only one I can trust to take care of him, Soubi. Everyone else is second rate. My mother can't be trusted for long, he needs a safe haven. He needs you now." A pause, before he added, "_I_ need you now. Promise me, Soubi."

_I need you now._

Seimei needed Soubi now. Unfathomable as it was, Seimei had said it. He _needed_ Soubi, and at first, Soubi had not believed his own ears. It seemed as though he was only living to hear those words, to feel someone else needing him for something; anything. His world revolved around that. Being needed.

Soubi's long arms, lean and slightly trembling, boldly wrapped around the back of his beloved, his palms tightly clutching the back of the black shirt Seimei wore. Blue eyes fell shut and Soubi buried his face in the crook of Seimei's slender neck. He half-expected Seimei to shove him away…

Seimei did not. Rather, he looped one arm around Soubi's shoulders and gave his blond hair one farewell stroke. Soubi mimicked the action; slithered his fingers back through Seimei's hair. There were no faux cat ears to obstruct his self-soothing petting.

"I promise," Soubi muttered sullenly, brokenly, as he pressed his lips tenderly to Seimei's proud jawbone. He couldn't see it, but he could feel that Seimei was grinning.

Pulling back, Seimei stroked Soubi's cheek almost warmly with the pad of his thumb.

"I'll go out the window," Seimei said. "I don't want to risk waking them up. Wait five minutes after I've gone to take your leave."

Soubi did not understand just why Seimei had commanded such a thing, but he did not argue. He nodded in compliance. "Five minutes."

"Take care, Soubi."

Seimei left a kiss to Soubi's lips. While Seimei's mouth was generally warm, heated with the lust he harbored for his blond lover, this graze of his lips was cold; arid. There was no feeling behind it. No remorse. No regret. No business left unfinished in that heartless kiss. He wouldn't miss his Soubi. A moment later when Seimei pulled away, he smiled; only the corners of his lips turned. Soubi, for once, could not read his Seimei's emotions.

There were none to read.

When Seimei turned, water began to fill Soubi's brilliant blue eyes. His expression did not shift, only his eyes as he watched, crestfallen and empty, as the only source of love in his life began to climb over the window frame with feline grace. Seimei hopped a short distance from the windowsill to the grass below and, without looking back, advanced toward his waiting car. The before-dawn shadow did well to cloak Seimei's retreating format, but Soubi could see every tiny detail as his lover wandered further and further away from his home.

Away from Soubi.

Seimei didn't care. Soubi knew that much from the look in his eye. Seimei would start a new life somewhere with unrivaled popularity among people who had no idea of just who Aoyagi Seimei was. Unwitting and unprepared, this new world would take Seimei in, never knowing what he had done, who he had left behind, and when he would depart again.

Seimei seemed to leave a dark void in people's lives. Again, Seimei just didn't care. Seimei wasn't the type for caring much about… well, anything. Only what he could take, what he could gain.

None of this seemed real to Soubi. Not one bit of it. Just hours ago, things had been as they always were. And now…

Things had changed.

Nothing would be the same after this.

Even as Seimei placed his bags in the trunk of his car, then slipped into the driver's seat and started it up, Soubi couldn't accept the reality of it. A slap in the face, a splash of cold water, an electric shock¾none of these things compared to the suddenness of Seimei's departure.

To anyone else who may have been watching, Seimei was not leaving the house obnoxiously early in the morning because he was leaving his life behind. Maybe Seimei had gotten a new job. Maybe he wanted to take a crisp morning jog before school.

But, no.

As the black car pulled off of the curb and disappeared into the first rays of sunlight, the reality of Soubi's situation finally set in.

Seimei was gone.

Just like that.

Just gone…

Seimei had no intention of returning.

When at last Soubi's tears began to fall, he did not feel them, nor did he make a sound. For those few, fleeting minutes, Soubi didn't move. The clear droplets cascading from his glassy eyes stained his skin, but he did not wipe them away. He wore them proudly, for this was the first time in what seemed like ages that Soubi had showed any real signs of human feeling.

Emotion. Feeling.

That's what Soubi wanted.

It was proof that he was alive.

He only wished it would have surfaced under less tragic circumstances.

A sigh left Soubi's lips, one tinged with sorrow, regret and confusion. For the moment, he put no thought into Ritsuka and how he would take this. Any of this. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. Until that time, he decided, he would take a walk. After he had pulled on his shirt, Soubi clambered out of Seimei's bedroom window for the final time, dropping down onto the grass below with a silent thud. He had long since perfected those landings.

Without so much as a parting glance to the house in which he had spent so much of his time, Soubi walked away.

He didn't know where he planned to go.

Wherever it was, it would not be far.


	9. Chapter 9

I keep forgetting to update my sites... Gr. This month has been a very busy one, so please excuse my absence!

Happy reading! Please review!

* * *

The first day proved to be the most excruciating. The morning Seimei had left, Soubi found his way to the park just down the street. There, he found a playground with two different sets of swings, each housing three sets of chains that supported three cheaply made seats of plastic and rubber. Soubi took the one on the edge and waited there for something to change. Something. Anything... Maybe he would fall asleep here, and then wake to find it had all been nothing more than a bad dream.

To his misfortune, Soubi had no such luck.

Three cigarettes later and the day had officially begun. The early morning sun greeted Soubi's slightly chilled body with rays of inviting warmth. Soubi, however, felt no real comfort. Perhaps it was selfish of him to feel so morbidly depressed over the loss of something he never truly had. But could he really help that? Seimei was his world, and when one's world is taken away, one finds one's self rather… at a loss.

However, he reminded himself, there was nothing he could have possibly done to change the outcome of the situation. If Seimei was gone, then he was gone. That was that. It had taken a few painful hours and many cigarettes, but Soubi had at last come to terms with the concept.

_Stage 1: Acceptance - Check_

_Stage 2: Moving on - (blank)_

However, regardless of the sudden void in his life, Soubi felt oddly… freed? Yes, that was it… He was _free_. Soubi was free from Seimei and all of his split-second commands, ridiculous expectations and outlandish standards; free from giving over his body and mind at the drop of a hat. Soubi was free from it all.

However… He was also free from _purpose_.

That was the thought to bring him down again.

Soubi had no purpose anymore. No reason to breathe. No Seimei to please…

It was while he took a drag from a freshly lit cigarette that something fresh and new clicked into place.

Soubi _did_ have a purpose. Soubi had all but forgotten that, with Seimei out of the picture, Soubi was now in unofficial charge of the little brother; Soubi had been entrusted with Ritsuka's well-being. With Seimei gone, Soubi could focus on Ritsuka without counting it as selfish indulgence. Seimei had _commanded_ Soubi to love the little neko.

To love him…

The thought of actually loving the fifteen-year-old had yet to cross Soubi's foggy mind. Did Seimei really expect Soubi to just _love_ someone upon verbal command? Granted, Seimei probably only meant to love him as a brother would, but… it wasn't Soubi's fault that Seimei had worded it the wrong way.

Wait. What was he thinking? Already thinking about _love,_ of all things, not even a day after the supposed love of his life vanishes into the night? (Metaphorically speaking, of course, seeing as how Seimei left in the early morning, but it was the principle of the thing.) Either way, love would have to wait. However, what Soubi could do, what he wanted to do, what he had been _ordered_ to do, was take care of the young Aoyagi.

It gave Soubi a purpose again…

Through an exhale of cancerous smoke, Soubi caught sight of the sun again. School would be starting up soon. He could already see, from the corner of his eye, students from this residential area gathering on the street corner to wait for the bus. Most of them were grade-schoolers, though; high school teenagers liked to walk or ride their bikes to school. It was the cool thing to do nowadays - only the lame kids had their parents drive them, or so went the unwritten law. It made Soubi smirk, albeit faintly, to think of such standards.

Children never ceased to fascinate him…

"Soubi?"

A strikingly familiar voice snapped Soubi from his reverie and he glanced over. To Soubi's right stood a bright-eyed Ritsuka—a morning person, of course—with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his weight balanced on one foot, rather than two. Ritsuka was indeed a sight for sore eyes. Soubi offered him a warm smile in greeting.

"Good morning, Ritsuka," said the blond as he tapped a few ashes from his cigarette.

"Morning," Ritsuka murmured, blinking a bit in confusion. "Uh… Soubi…"

"Yes?"

"Why are you out here at this hour?"

Soubi almost choked on an inward breath of cigarette smoke. Refraining from stuttering, Soubi collected himself and rolled his shoulders back a little, hoping to ease the morning's tension. "Just a morning stroll," he replied coolly.

Ritsuka didn't seem convinced, but Soubi made no attempt to reiterate.

"Shouldn't you be getting to school?" Soubi asked with nonchalance, putting out his cigarette in the grainy, dewy sand at his feet.

Ritsuka sighed some, a little exasperated with Soubi's typical standoffish behavior. "Yeah, I guess," he mumbled, kicking at the sand.

One black ear lay flat against Ritsuka's head, the other perked and alert, giving the adolescent an almost clueless appearance; one Soubi found very adorable on the boy. It reminded him that, no matter how much Ritsuka had matured over the years, Ritsuka was still just an innocent little kitten. Soubi didn't think Ritsuka would ever grow out of that. At least not to Soubi. Soubi would always see him as innocent… harmless…

Just an adorable little kitten.

Soubi chuckled a little. "It can't be that bad."

"It's just boring," Ritsuka complained. "I already know all of that stuff. And I still get crappy grades…"

Soubi cocked his eyebrow. "Maybe I could help you with that," he said. "I used to have the same problem in high school. I knew the answers, but putting them down on paper was a bit more difficult."

Ritsuka's ears perked at that. "Really?"

Soubi nodded, his silky blond hair cascading over one slim shoulder.

"Well, then…" Ritsuka paused mid-sentence, nibbling on his lip in such a way that made Soubi's heart flutter. Did Ritsuka have any idea how cute he was when he wasn't even trying? Probably not.

"How about you pick me up after school? We can go to your house and you can help me with an English paper." Ritsuka scrunched his nose; he hated English. It was such a complicated language… So many words that sounded alike and meant so many different things…

Soubi brightened up by degrees and he nodded without hesitation. Ah, finally an excuse to spend time with the teenager! Things were looking up already. "Sure. What time do you get out?"

"Getting out" of school really made it sound like a prison break.

"Three-thirty," replied a now eager Ritsuka, his feline tail almost wagging¾yet another little idiosyncrasy of Ritsuka's that Soubi adored.

"I'll be waiting. Now... Get going before you're late; I'll see you this afternoon."

As chipper as he ever was, Ritsuka smiled, nodded and pushed up from the swing to stand on his own two feet. The chains once supporting his weight clattered and clinked in protest of his absence.

"Okay!" Ritsuka chirped. The neko waved a little before he trotted off down the pathway to the street, where he took a left turn and headed off for school. Soubi, vigilant and wary, waited until he was out of sight to let his guard down again.

Poor Ritsuka; he was so blissfully unaware of the situation at hand, very much in the dark about his beloved elder brother's vow never to return for reasons, Soubi feared, they would never know. Maybe Ritsuka wouldn't realize it today, or even tomorrow or the next day, but certainly he would notice that Seimei was no longer there. When that time came, Soubi had no doubt in his mind that Ritsuka would be devastated beyond belief. In speculation, Soubi doubted that he himself would be more crushed in the long run by Seimei's sudden departure. It was then that Soubi felt something very atypical of himself; something he had not _ever_ felt in regard to Seimei.

Soubi was _angry_ with Seimei.

No, that wasn't the word. Being angry didn't do this feeling justice. Soubi was enraged; _infuriated_ that Seimei could do this to his own little brother. How could he just pack up his entire life and move on without so much as a parting word to someone he supposedly cared so deeply for? How could he just… leave everyone behind with what he claimed to be good intentions when there seemed to be nothing but ice?

Maybe Seimei's departure wasn't for Ritsuka's good at all; maybe it was for Seimei's own. Maybe all of that "good intentions" business was a cover-up for Seimei's utter irritation with his situation. Maybe… Seimei just wanted out…

But why?

Soubi had no explanation for any of it. This entire bout of fury was more than likely a nonsensical vent for his grief and confusion. Whatever the cause, as he sat there with his fingers wrapped around the chains holding his swing in place, blue eyes downcast and inwardly sullen, he knew this anger wouldn't go away very easily. He would resent Seimei for leaving this gap in Ritsuka's life.

He would resent Seimei for leaving this gap in his own life.

Even through the resentment, would he ever be able to let go? Move on? Soubi doubted this very highly.

Through his sorrow and frustration, Soubi knew he had to be getting to the college. His students would be gathering soon and if they were missing a teacher without so much as a warning, there would be Hell to pay, courtesy of the Dean. In that light - with great reluctance - Soubi left the park and set out for the college.

Soubi prayed to leave his troubles behind him on the swing, just for today, but the passive and more rational portion of his mind _knew _that that would not be the case.


	10. Chapter 10

A short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless. Chapter 9 was too short to be posted on its own...

* * *

Math class proved very dull in the first five minutes or so, and it didn't take Ritsuka's mind very long to begin wandering. With his hand to his chin, his violet eyes directed out the window, the square root of such and such became yesterday's news and a new topic began to take: his elder brother's constant companion, the enigmatic Agatsuma Soubi.

Soubi had acted rather strangely earlier, Ritsuka thought idly. Then again, not a day went by that Soubi didn't exhibit strange behavior at some point in time; it was almost embedded into his personality's hard drive. Nonetheless, the previous morning had left Ritsuka uneasy. Soubi had seemed happy; too happy, over-compensating almost. Over-compensating for what, though? Ritsuka hadn't the faintest idea. All he knew was that his heartstrings had ached for Soubi since their brief encounter in the park, and they ached even more when he thought back on it. Hindsight is 20/20, after all, and Ritsuka gave himself a mental kick for not commenting on it while he had the chance.

Unwittingly, Ritsuka sighed and closed his eyes in thought, attracting the attention of his math teacher.

"Aoyagi-kun," called the teacher, moving his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Something on your mind?" he asked in that stereotypical sarcasm only teachers can get away with.

Ritsuka looked over with a dazed sort of expression on his face. "Huh?" A few of the students in the room began to laugh, albeit quietly. The teacher, Ruku-sensei, paid them no mind, singling out Ritsuka for now. "I said, is there something on your mind?"

Purple eyes glanced left and right; Ritsuka saw some of his classmates stifling laughter. Shrinking just a little further back into his seat, Ritsuka shook his head. "No."

"Good."

Ritsuka's face housed a mild frown for the next couple of hours. Lunch came and went - Still, Ritsuka frowned. Soubi had frequented his thoughts lately, even before that strange episode at the park that morning. Was that odd? Ritsuka couldn't help but to wonder. On one hand, Soubi had become a big part of Ritsuka's life. Ever since his thirteenth birthday, Soubi was there constantly, be it with Seimei or without him.

On the other hand, it had to be unhealthy to think of one person so much. Up until now, Seimei had been Ritsuka's entire world, but now Soubi was encompassing Ritsuka's thoughts, too! Was that wrong? Ritsuka couldn't help but feel that he was betraying Seimei somehow in wanting Soubi's company, in thinking about the time he and Soubi spent together.

Was Ritsuka really _obligated_ to think only of his elder brother? Logic said no, but… he couldn't help but to feel guilty. Seimei was his brother, Ritsuka decided, and his brother came first. Seimei always came first.

Always.

With this thought firmly in his mind as the school bell rang and students began charging for the exits, Ritsuka hoisted his backpack over his shoulders and marched calmly out the front door, confidence in his step. He was sure of himself. Seimei first, Soubi second. That thought and that thought alone reigned supreme in his sixteen-year-old mind…

Until he saw Soubi standing at the gates of the high school, his eyes to the sky, a cigarette in his lips and a cool nonchalance about his person. Soubi was always like this; cool, calm and collected. Nothing fazed him. Nothing ever got under Soubi's skin. Fire and brimstone could rain down upon Tokyo and Soubi would walk through it as casually as anything, a spring in his step and a smile on his lips.

Ah, yes…

So admirable, Soubi was…

Wait! What was he thinking? All that talk about Seimei coming first and now he was giving Soubi borderline-idol status?

Pausing in his step, Ritsuka mentally chided himself, holding his head, flattening his ears and sighing. So much for that.

_I'm sorry, Seimei, but… Soubi is a part of my life, too, so… I shouldn't feel bad for thinking about him._

Nothing seemed logical anymore.

Biting it back and walking once more, Ritsuka strode over to the adult at the gate and smiled as brightly as he could. "Soubi," he chirped happily. He never had to fake happiness around the blond; it came naturally.

Soubi glanced down, smiled, and put out his cigarette on the pavement. "Ritsuka," he greeted the adolescent.

"I can always count on you to pick me up from school, huh?" Ritsuka asked with a laugh and a flicker of his feline ears.

"Always," Soubi responded brightly. The smile on his lips never seemed to falter, but it did seem a little tragic now. Why? Soubi was as confusing as the day was long; Ritsuka doubted he could ever hope to fully figure this man out. That was one of the elements that drew Ritsuka to Soubi; his enigmatic aura, his air of mystery. Ritsuka wanted _desperately_ to decipher the meanings behind Soubi's vague responses and unreadable expressions. Ritsuka strived to be the one to understand him…

Whoa. Where was that trail of thought going? Back it up, Aoyagi!

"Ritsuka…"

"Hm?" Ears of black velvet flickered upward to give the neko a look of curiosity.

"Do you want to… spend the day with me?" Soubi sounded hesitant. "I don't have plans. And I'll admit, I'd enjoy the company."

Ritsuka brightened up at Soubi's offer. "Sure!" he chirped, smiling. Only briefly, Ritsuka thought of consulting his mother first; surely, she'd want to know where he was…

On second thought… that probably wasn't such a good idea. Ritsuka knew how it would play out: He would ask his mother's permission to stay out a bit later than usual, she would ask questions, he would unwittingly give all the wrong answers and bear more scars in the morning as a result. Asking her for permission to spend the day with a friend was pointless; he would just have to sneak into his bedroom without her noticing and pretend to have been home all that time. It was genius! He had done it before.

Ritsuka only hoped that it would work better than last time.

"So what do you want to do?" Ritsuka asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his tail swaying back and forth (it was more of a _canine_ tic than a _feline_ one, really).

Soubi shrugged. "Anything you want to do. Name it."

Nibbling on his lower lip, Ritsuka directed his violet eyes to the pavement, concentrating. What could they do? It would have to be something they _both_ enjoyed, so…

"How about we stay in tonight?" Ritsuka asked at last, soft eyes flipping back up to meet Soubi's own. "We can rent some scary movies and watch 'em at your place!" It seemed like a good idea to the young Ritsuka; he enjoyed horror movies for the brief adrenaline rush and Soubi… well… Ritsuka wasn't sure if Soubi actually liked horror movies or if Soubi just humored Ritsuka's predilection for them. Whatever the case, Soubi always seemed to enjoy himself…

"A movie night sounds good," said Soubi. Long fingers moved back through his silky blond mane, inching flaxen strands from startling blue eyes. "There's a movie store a few blocks down from my apartment."

Ritsuka nodded and Soubi took the lead, walking side-by-side with the younger neko.

"Will Kio be at your place?" Ritsuka asked randomly, glancing upward in Soubi's direction. Another random thought sprung to mind; Soubi was rather tall… Very thin, too… Blond was the perfect hair color for Soubi. Brown wouldn't do; black would be even worse. Yes, the blond was just… perfect.

Did Soubi treat his hair to get it that color?

"Mm, no," Soubi said with a shake of his head; flaxen locks shifted lightly with the movement. "I believe he's off visiting his family for today."

Ritsuka blinked. "Kio has a family?"

Soubi laughed outright then, causing Ritsuka to smile. Ritsuka rarely heard Soubi laugh; it was nice to know that Soubi possess the _ability_ to laugh. "Yes, he does," Soubi muttered, a grin on his lips, "as odd as it seems…"

Ritsuka giggled a little, his fair features softening. "So it's just you and me tonight," he commented. "I hardly get to hang out with just you. Usually Seimei's there, too." After realizing what he had said and how it could be interpreted, Ritsuka stammered to correct himself in a hurry, "N- Not that I don't like spending time with Seimei! I just… well…"

"You just what?" Soubi asked, glancing over, blue eyes shimmering and his lips twisted upward in a soft smirk.

Ritsuka flushed; his face began to burn and he wasn't quite sure why. Looking away, the neko smiled sheepishly. "I just… like spending time with you, Soubi."

A moment of silence passed between them before Ritsuka felt a weight pressing lightly down on his shoulders. In looking over, he saw Soubi's arm draped over his shoulders and behind his neck, enabling the blond to pull the neko a bit closer to his form. "I like spending time with you, too, Ritsuka," Soubi said with a smile.

Ritsuka smiled brightly, purring, his black tail shifting around Soubi's back and wrapping around his wrist in kittenish affection. Behind Soubi's glasses, he could see warmth in those sapphire eyes and he happily gave into their embrace.

Soubi was like a brother to Ritsuka. Granted, Ritsuka already had a brother, but there was nothing wrong with having two, right? Seimei and Soubi tied for first place in Ritsuka's book as of late, and for today, Ritsuka wanted nothing more than to spend some one-on-one time with his favorite blond.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the delay in updating, everyone! I had to switch to a new internet provider, which left me stranded for a while since they took so much time getting everything worked out...

On with the fiction! Please review!

* * *

_You're in my arms and all the world is gone;_

_The music playing on for only two._

_So close together and when I'm with you,_

_So close to feeling alive…_

Soubi and Ritsuka's trip to the video store elicited a bagful of selections; Saw and Saw II, 1408 and Ju-On for the sake of having a movie filmed in their own language. Along with the DVDs, Soubi purchased some junk food for them to snack on during their horror-thon; orange soda, microwave popcorn and - Ritsuka's favorite - gummy fish. Ritsuka didn't normally care for junk food, but for movies, he tended to make exceptions. Besides, he was a sucker for those little gummy fish.

Ritsuka loved _anything_ fish-related. Those feline tendencies were going to be the death of Soubi. He found those catlike tics far too adorable.

Northbound, the pair trekked the busy Tokyo streets to Soubi's apartment, each toting half of their purchase from the video store.

"Sure you'll be able to stomach Saw?" Ritsuka asked randomly, playfully, eyeing Soubi with a snicker. "It's pretty gruesome."

Soubi shrugged. "It's only a movie," he said with a matter-of-fact sort of tone. In truth, Soubi didn't quite care for horror movies; he found them unnecessarily violent and (most of the time) rather inaccurate. Watching people being tortured and killed didn't really appeal to Soubi, but in his experience, Ritsuka tended to use the person nearest to him as a makeshift hiding place from the gore and otherwise unpleasant situations the movie brought on. Logic said that Soubi would be that hiding place tonight; it was the perfect excuse to get closer to Ritsuka emotionally.

Alright, even Soubi wasn't buying that, it was the perfect excuse to get closer to Ritsuka physically. Who was Soubi kidding? He had more than minute affection for the little neko and he knew it; Soubi had real feelings for Ritsuka, feelings an adult should never have for a minor, even if that minor just so happened to be sixteen. Comparing Ritsuka to Seimei to make the transition easier didn't quite work; the brothers were far too different to Soubi. Soubi may have loved Seimei, but their relationship was entirely one-sided. Soubi dared to think, in the deepest, most private section of his mind, that the feeling he had for Ritsuka was different. The blond didn't dare to dream that Ritsuka could ever feel the same way, but it was still different.

_Very_ different.

Seimei was a very hard person to love if you knew who he really was.

Ritsuka, young, sweet, and thoughtful, was very easy to care for. At least, he was to Soubi. That counted for something, right?

Still… The thought of feeling this way for the teenager was more than unsettling. Thankfully, Soubi hid it well; the last thing Soubi wanted was to repulse Ritsuka because of something Soubi had no hope of controlling. Soubi would have failed in his "mission" were Ritsuka to revile him, and Soubi would then lose his last connection to humanity. Without Ritsuka in his life, Soubi feared life would have no meaning. At least this way, they would both have someone to cling onto; Soubi to Ritsuka out of affection, and Ritsuka to Soubi once he realized that his beloved brother was gone forever.

That last bit could wait, however.

In due course, the duo reached Soubi's apartment. Once there, they kicked off their shoes, cleared a spot in the living room for a makeshift powwow square, shut the drapes to prevent sunrays from glaring off the television screen and popped a DVD into the player; their first selection was Ju-On. As expected, it didn't take very long for Ritsuka's nerves to get the better of him, and he wound up curled into Soubi's chest, as though Soubi could protect him from the vengeful (albeit fictional) spirits.

Soubi, amused and content, grinned down to the neko. "Scared already?" he asked. Instinct called for him to wrap his arms around the little neko, but he didn't dare. Ritsuka nodded in response, but those violet eyes remained glued to the television.

"No matter how many times you see it," Ritsuka murmured into Soubi's chest, "you don't really get used to it."

"Mm." Soubi leaned his back to the bottom half of the couch and watched Ritsuka's shifting expressions through the corner of his eye. He enjoyed watching Ritsuka more than the movie, especially now. Seimei's sudden absence left Soubi feeling abnormally cold and detached from the outside world, but with Ritsuka clinging onto him so fervently, Soubi felt searing warmth and content. It wasn't transference, a lonely soul yearning for affection from the nearest person. Soubi knew better than that. This was… incomprehensible comfort.

It was all Soubi could do not to take Ritsuka into his arms and kiss him right then and there. Oh, he wanted to, and he wanted to with such a passion that it frightened him for a moment. Soubi knew it was wrong, wrong on so many levels. To ward off the desire, Soubi began listing the reasons as to why he shouldn't have acted on his urges.

For starters, Ritsuka was only sixteen. Ritsuka was a minor and there were consequences for that (not to mention Soubi did _not_ want to be labeled as a pedophile).

Secondly, given that Ritsuka was still a child, he trusted Soubi in the way a child would trust an adult; blindly, without question and certainly without worry that he would be taken advantage of.

Third, Ritsuka was Seimei's brother. That alone spoke volumes. Even though Seimei was gone, Soubi had still been his lover. Going after the brother next sounded wrong enough.

Amazing, Soubi thought, how he could go from giving himself fully from one man to the next without a qualm. There were reasons, of course; Seimei was abusive, Ritsuka was not, and let's not forget that Seimei had _ordered_ Soubi to take care of the young Ritsuka - to love him.

In came the question: Did Soubi truly love Ritsuka?

Soubi didn't know, not yet. Time would tell. But until that time came, Soubi succumbed to a small fraction of his urges and wrapped his arms snugly around the nervous kitten beside him, pulling the feline to his chest and enjoying the intimate moment. Maybe someday Ritsuka would know of Soubi's feelings, but not now. Right now, the only thing existing in Ritsuka's world was the figment of a horror writer's imagination; the ghost of a woman bent on revenge against anyone who dared to enter her house.

Thank God for horror movies, Soubi thought, else he might never have gotten to hold Ritsuka this way.

Near the end of the movie, Ritsuka was all but asleep, his eyes half-lidded, his lithe figure gently shifting with his light breathing and the minute tremors of his purring. So much for being afraid of horror movies! Soubi smirked at the thought and shook his head.

With Ritsuka in a half-sleep, Soubi took his chances and touched his fingertips gently to the neko's pitch-black mane. The strands, he found, were sinfully soft and silky, a bit thicker than his own in volume despite its shorter length. Soubi's long fingers sifted right through them; not a single knot to obstruct Soubi's soft caress. With the gentle touch, Ritsuka's purring seemed to deepen, and Soubi smiled again. It had to be unhealthy to smile this much; Soubi's lips were practically frozen that way now.

Ritsuka really had no idea, did he?

Maybe it was just as well.

Still…

Soubi gingerly rubbed the pads of his fingers to the base of Ritsuka's feline ears, earning a soft, contented sigh and a slight shift in position from the neko. Sated in the knowledge that Ritsuka was far too dazed to notice, Soubi leaned down a little until his nose met with Ritsuka's raven hair, but only just. Soubi breathed in, basked in the little neko's scent, close to purring himself over just how relaxing he found their current situation.

For right then, nothing else existed for Soubi but Ritsuka; he could neither hear, nor see the movie, and the outside world simply didn't matter anymore. If only for the moment, Soubi's troubles and worries went flying out the window and were replaced with thoughts of a beautiful, raven-haired youth.

Soubi's lips lightly ghosted Ritsuka's temple, but Ritsuka didn't seem to notice (thank heaven). Soubi lost himself for a moment. Maybe it was alright if Ritsuka knew about Soubi's feelings for him. Maybe it wouldn't turn out so badly. Just… maybe.

"Mm…" Ritsuka murmured incoherently in his state of half-sleep, shifting into Soubi's lap a bit more, curling into the adult's embrace. "I think I'm about to fall asleep."

Ritsuka's voice brought Soubi from his idle reverie like a cold splash of water. Cautious, as not to alert Ritsuka of his prior closeness, Soubi pulled up a little, putting his desire for the little neko on the back burner. "I can see that," the blond murmured gently, drawing his hand away from Ritsuka's head. "I don't mind," he added, "if you'd like a nap."

Ritsuka shook his head. "I really shouldn't," he said, and directed his tired violet eyes up to Soubi. Soubi saw blind trust in those eyes; a typical sort of naïveté that he doubted Ritsuka would outgrow very quickly, if ever. It caused a small pang of desire deep within the chambers of Soubi's heart; with the way Ritsuka was looking at him right then, so adorably, so innocently, Soubi couldn't help but to feel a small bout of possessiveness. He wanted to make Ritsuka his, right then and there. But… such a situation was not to be. If anything, Ritsuka would be the one to possess Soubi, not the other way around. Ritsuka didn't quite know that yet, but he would - soon.

"If you're so tired, you probably should," Soubi argued gently, and then quickly backed down. It wasn't his place to argue at all. He wasn't quite used to obeying Ritsuka's wishes yet… "But maybe it's better you stay awake," he said after a moment, squeezing gently around the neko's small shoulders. "You're better company when you're conscious."

"Mm…" Another incoherency slipped from Ritsuka's lips and Soubi smiled from its adorability. "What time is it, Soubi?"

A quick glance to the wall clock over the couch - granted, it was an upside-down glance, seeing as how Soubi didn't wish to move so much that Ritsuka would leave his lap - yielded his answer, "Just past five."

Ritsuka groaned and shifted, and Soubi looked down with concern. "What is it?" the blond asked, receiving a slight sigh from the kitten curled up in his lap. "Mom," Ritsuka murmured, his ears falling. "I don't want to be gone too much longer," he elaborated further. "She gets mad if I'm not home before dark."

Soubi's brow furrowed then. That woman was so hateful. Soubi wanted nothing more for Ritsuka than to see her gone. However, he noted with a slight sigh, Ritsuka loved his mother dearly, and once the little neko realized that he was minus one elder brother… the last thing he would want to lose would be his mother, too. It was bad enough that his father was a deserter. Ritsuka would have no family left, and while Soubi didn't necessarily think that was a bad thing in this case, it was Ritsuka's opinion that mattered.

Ritsuka was _all_ that mattered.

"It will be dark soon," Soubi said with disdain, cuddling the little neko to him for a moment longer. "Perhaps you should go now…" Soubi, however, wanted to keep the little kitten for the night. Ritsuka felt so warm against his chest, so soft and inviting - in stark contrast to Seimei, whose body was hard and frigid. Seimei never allowed for a cuddle, not really. Those post-orgasm embraces didn't count, those were signs of cold, harsh possession, all-but-subtle signs Seimei would give to Soubi to say that no one else would ever have him in the way that Seimei did.

And no one ever would.

"I will," Ritsuka mumbled tiredly, pressing his face into Soubi's chest, nuzzling him with kittenish affection. "… In five more minutes…"

A smile crawled onto Soubi's lips and he chuckled. How adorable… The "five more minutes" line was cliché when it came from anyone else's mouth, but from Ritsuka's, it sounded like sweet, sweet adolescence in its purest form, showing innocence in a life jam-packed with darkness and inevitable hurt.

Soubi really did put Ritsuka up on a pedestal, but that was just where the youth belonged. Soubi had always thought so.

"Come now," the blond murmured tenderly, running his fingertips over a silky feline ear, then down into equally soft raven hair. "Five minutes turns into ten, then twenty, thirty… You can sleep when you get home, little one."

Ritsuka purred at the careful attention paid to his hair and his ears, leaning into Soubi's hand, and then purring some more. He and Soubi had no qualms about being this intimate in private; Ritsuka considered him a brother, and just as it was with Seimei, Ritsuka allowed a lot of things most young men would consider a threat to their masculinity. "Alright," Ritsuka conceded at last, forcing open his eyes and peering up to Soubi. Behind thin, round frames, Soubi captured his gaze and smiled warmly.

"S- Soubi?" Ritsuka sounded nervous.

"Yes, Ritsuka?"

"C- Can we…"

Soubi raised his eyebrow. "Can we…"

Ritsuka nibbled on his lip a little and looked away, and when he looked back, his confidence was completely renewed. "Can we spend the day together tomorrow, too?" Ritsuka asked, his ears perking up a little. "I- I can ask my mom if I can stay the night, so I won't have to worry about getting home early! Would that be okay?"

_Would that be okay?_ Soubi's mind went reeling when Ritsuka asked for another day of togetherness with his beloved, and not even just another day, but another day and a _whole night_.

Oh, the possibilities…

_Get that thought out of your head._

"I'd like that," Soubi said at last, forcing his arms to loosen from their snug position around Ritsuka's small frame. "I'll pick you up from school and we'll go from there. How's that?"

Ritsuka's face brightened up with a wide smile. The kitten nodded in agreement and hugged Soubi around the waist. Soubi didn't have to question why he was so thrilled; any time away from that horrible Aoyagi woman must have been sheer heaven for the little neko. "Okay!" Ritsuka chirped. "Will you walk me home?"

"Of course."

The sun was halfway through setting when the pair hit the pavement, bound for Ritsuka's home. Fortunately, the walk wasn't looking to be too long; traffic tended to die down a little in the evening hours. The whole walk there, Ritsuka had a smile on his face.

"You're so much fun, Soubi," the neko said brightly. "You're like a brother to me!"

Soubi smiled at that, though it was a tad bittersweet. "Am I?" he asked. "Then again, no," he murmured afterward and shook his head. "Seimei is your brother, and I could never hope to live up to _him_."

Not ever.

That was what hurt.

Ritsuka blinked up at him. "You don't have to live up to him exactly," he said. "You're both so different." Then, as he clung to Soubi's arm playfully, Ritsuka piped up again, "That's why I like you so much! Variety's a good thing, you know."

Despite the slight pang of inadequacy he got every time he was put up to bat against the incomparable Aoyagi Seimei, Soubi felt… touched by Ritsuka's comment. Ritsuka was wise beyond his years, though he didn't know it. In essence, Ritsuka was by far more mature than his brother, or even Soubi. Soubi knew that, Seimei probably knew that; it was Ritsuka who had no idea.

Maybe it was just as well. Ritsuka deserved to have an adolescence - growing up too soon would only hurt him more.

"You're right," Soubi agreed, looking down to the younger boy, smiling pleasantly. "You always are."

"I am?" Ritsuka blinked and tilted his head curiously.

Soubi chuckled. "Yes. More so than you know sometimes."

Ritsuka nibbled on his bottom lip in thought, and then giggled. "I like being right," he said. "I never get to be right at home, 'cause that's Seimei's job."

_Not anymore_.

"Well," Soubi interjected, slinging his arm loosely over Ritsuka's small - almost feminine - shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, you're always right."

Ritsuka laughed. "Soubi! I can't always be right!"

"Of course you can."

Before long, the duo reached Ritsuka's street. Ritsuka stopped at the edge of the block and turned to look at the blond. "You better not walk me right up to the door," he said. "Mom might get mad if she knows I was out with an adult."

Adult? Oh. The ears. Of course. Such a fundamental role they played in society.

"Alright," Soubi complied, smiling, hugging Ritsuka once more around the shoulders. "I'll see you tomorrow after school."

"Okay!" Ritsuka chirped, his tail practically wagging as he clung briefly to his adult friend. "I'll ask Mom about staying over tomorrow. 'Kay?"

Soubi only nodded, releasing the smaller boy from his grasp.

"See you tomorrow!"

Soubi waved Ritsuka off as the neko turned and hopped off down the street to make it through his front door before darkness encompassed the street. Once Ritsuka was out of sight, Soubi sighed, smiled and folded his arms.

Seimei was gone and it saddened Soubi considerably, but living in a role where self-indulgence was a sin and serving another meant you were alive, Seimei's departure opened up a door Soubi never thought would be presented to him. With the brutally sadistic Aoyagi out of the picture, Soubi was left - free, almost - to take care of Ritsuka. Soubi could love Ritsuka now, without fear of reprimand from the vengeful Aoyagi Seimei.

Seimei was gone.

However…

There was still the matter of letting Ritsuka in on that _trivial _piece of information.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for my prolonged absence, everyone. I... have no excuse. -hangs head, is ashamed-

My extremely picky behavior has led me to revise the next few chapters of this story, so please bear with me until I get it all done. In the meantime, enjoy this incredibly shameless drabble and look forward to something with more substance in the next update.

Please review! I need the encouragement!

* * *

Luke-warm water felt scalding hot on his skin, Soubi found as he stepped into his shower, planning on a quick shampoo and rinse before he headed off to bed. Darkness reigned in the streets outside his apartment building; the sun had set, the moon had risen, and the streetlights had flickered to life, all on his walk home from Ritsuka's street. The weather was beginning to chill - Autumn had officially begun. Autumn was Soubi's favorite season; the air was crisp and perfect for sitting out in the park with his sketchpad, and there were always so many things to draw. The world came to life for Soubi in the autumn.

Sighing with mild content as the water cascaded down his pale skin, Soubi closed his eyes and ran both hands back through his long, blond hair, leaning his head back underneath the flow of the showerhead. As he washed his hair, Soubi hoped idly that Ritsuka was alright. He hadn't received a text or anything tonight, was that a bad sign? Soubi didn't know this time around. He could never tell how Misaki was going to behave.

Soubi was worried. However, he decided that no news was better than bad news and set it on the back burner for the moment.

Still…

It would have been a great shame if Ritsuka was left with another scar to bear by the end of the night. Damn it all. The kid was already forced to wear a handful of bandages on the daily - did he really need more? Ritsuka had beautiful skin; soft, supple, flawless save for those scars. The presence of the scars didn't bother Soubi, however, what irked him was the fact that someone had purposely inflicted them upon Ritsuka, that someone had _deliberately _set out to damage that perfect skin.

Yes, Ritsuka had perfect skin… Perfect skin set atop a perfect teenaged body. Ritsuka didn't have an ounce of unnecessary weight on him, Soubi could pick him up with one arm, should he have chosen!

Those weren't even half of Ritsuka's positive physical attributes.

Strands of silken black hair fell from Ritsuka's head in slightly choppy waves and layers, adding volume to his mane and complimenting the shape of his face as well as his skin tone, and set behind raven bangs were the most beautiful eyes Soubi had ever seen. Even Seimei's violets couldn't compare to Ritsuka's; Ritsuka's eyes had far more depth and an innate sort of understanding, unwitting maturity and pure innocence. Soft skin, a beautifully lithe frame, a personality which baffled and entranced all at once…

Soubi worshipped Ritsuka in ways he couldn't even begin to comprehend. It was a little… scary just how dear he held the teenager, but that was just how it was. As he leaned back against the wall of his shower, let out a breath and opened up his eyes, Soubi finally came to terms with just _how much_ of an impact thinking about the young Ritsuka had on him. It hadn't been intentional, but thinking of the little neko had Soubi rather…

_Aroused_.

Soubi's brow furrowed and he bit at the inside of his cheek in frustration. Damn it all. His situation was distressing enough without having to deal with the fact that an underage _kitten_ had unknowingly turned him on! Groaning with agitation, Soubi shut his eyes and hit the back of his head lightly to the tile behind him.

It was only natural to have such urges, right? It didn't necessarily mean that he was a pervert or any such… It just meant he was human. Oh, how Soubi hoped he was right…

A few more minutes of ignoring his desire had the blond aching for relief. At that point, he couldn't have possibly cared less as to what those thoughts meant at all. The only thought running through his mind now was: _He's beautiful._

Taking in one deep, calming breath to get himself started, Soubi ran one hand down from his long blond hair, the flaxen strands dripping, further soaking his skin. Nimble fingers grazed over his neck and collarbone, but only slightly did they make contact; the barely-there touch drove him absolutely mad, and that was exactly what he was going for this time around. Soubi's breathing deepened slightly as the pads of his fingers reached his left nipple, circling the tender nub, causing it to harden beneath his touch. Mild jolts of pleasure ran through his chest, up his neck, then made a quick trek down to his throbbing erection, pulling a soft moan from Soubi's throat.

It wasn't often that Soubi pleasured himself, but this was called for.

With one hand teasing his nipple unmercifully, the other slid down Soubi's chest to his rock-hard abdomen, the latter heaving with each deep breath. A broad palm feathered over his prominent hipbone, ran down his thigh and then up again, purposely avoiding the painfully aching desire throbbing just northeast. Soubi teased and tortured himself deliberately; his overall pleasure was heightened this way. Besides that, the best way to go about this was with the perfect image, and _only_ the perfect image, as fuel for the raging fire.

Soubi's head lulled back against the shower wall, baring his throat for the stream of hot water to pelt. The heat of the water penetrated his skin, heated his blood, further driving his desire. With his eyes closed and his senses heightened, Soubi pictured his little kitten, his Ritsuka…

Soubi could just see it; Ritsuka as he had been before, lying in Soubi's lap, curled up so contentedly. Ritsuka was so beautiful when he slept, unaware, and just so peaceful. His chest heaved gently with each soft inhale and then again as he exhaled, warm breath caressing Soubi's arm, causing him to shiver. Silken strands of pitch black hair grazed Soubi's hand as the neko shifted in his slumber, searching for a more comfortable position. Soubi took the opportunity to hold him more intimately; he laid down upon the floor, and Ritsuka squirmed and wiggled until he found a place to lay - right atop Soubi's chest.

Oh, _God,_ this was unbearable.

Unconsciously, Soubi groaned into the humid bathroom air. He could almost feel Ritsuka's weight (or lack thereof) against him, he could almost feel Ritsuka's warm body pressed against his own…

In Soubi's fantasy, Ritsuka began to stir from his sleep. Violet eyes opened, assessed his situation, then flushed a violent shade of red, to which Soubi responded with a gentle smile of reassurance, a smile to put him at ease, to let him know it was okay. Ritsuka settled down then, and smiled in kind, laying down contentedly and purring as he nuzzled Soubi's chest.

That purring… It was so trivial in real life, but in Soubi's current state of mind, it was the most erotic thing in the world. Ritsuka's throat vibrated with the feline sound and his chest was soon to follow, creating a pleasant sort of tingle against Soubi's skin. Soubi raised his hands then, gingerly grasping Ritsuka's small, feminine back. Ritsuka whimpered slightly, nervous at their new degree of intimacy, but made no attempt to move. Soubi smiled again. Then, when Ritsuka's eyes met Soubi's own, Soubi moved in for a kiss.

Those lips were sinfully soft to the touch, Soubi imagined. Soft, pliable, so tender to the touch and so sensitive; Ritsuka moaned into Soubi's mouth within the first few seconds of contact. Soubi's pelvis stirred at the stimulation and Soubi, responsive as ever, sighed with desire.

Only then did Soubi bring himself some degree of relief. Slowly, he wrapped his fingers around his aching erection, stroking only once. He hissed, moaned, then breathed in deep. He was so sensitive now; just the thought of kissing Ritsuka was enough to make him want to climax. However, that just wouldn't do. Soubi would make this last.

The fantasy skipped a few chapters and continued, not on the living room floor, but in Soubi's bedroom - more specifically, on Soubi's bed. Ritsuka, flushed and breathing hard, laid flat on his back against Soubi's smooth blue bedspread, with the blond straddling his slim hips, kissing him all over. A warm pair of lips and a sinful tongue moved over Ritsuka's adolescent flesh, licking his neck, sucking on his collarbone, caressing his human ears with such care. Ritsuka, sensitive, moaned at every touch.

"Ritsuka…"

Soubi's breathing came short as, beneath the running water, he stroked himself a bit harder. He made a point, however, of not releasing just yet. Oh, no, that would wait… Just a little bit longer…

Back in the realm of his imagination, Soubi did away with Ritsuka's shirt and took the time to admire his bare physique. Soubi had seen Ritsuka shirtless a handful of times when they went to the beach together, but that paled in comparison to this, even if it _was_ just a fantasy. Ritsuka's bare skin was phenomenally soft and supple, and Soubi worshipped every inch with his mouth and with his hands. This little kitten was so unaware of his worth; in a physical manner, Soubi displayed Ritsuka's infinite value.

Ritsuka deserved everything, and Soubi wanted so badly to be the one who delivered it to him.

Biting his lip, arching back underneath the spray of water, Soubi groaned into the misty air and opened his eyes, longing blue eyes staring into the hazy shower door. Steam fogged the glass, further fueling Soubi's imagination.

With Ritsuka teetering between pleasure and madness, Soubi opted to lean more towards the side of pleasure. After he had completely disrobed his love, Soubi began to pleasure the little kitten with his mouth. Ah, those sweet moans… They were music to Soubi's ears. More blood rushed to Soubi's lower half. Warm lips enveloped Ritsuka's hard, throbbing member and Soubi delivered like only a well-learned lover could. With every new touch, Ritsuka writhed, moaned, and gasped for air, tangling his slim fingers into Soubi's tussled blond hair, gripping every now and again, shyly pleading for more.

"R- Ritsuka…" The name left Soubi's lips in a husky moan. The fingers around his shaft began to move faster, harder than before. He was close, so close… Soubi had self-control, of course, but nothing, absolutely _nothing_ could have stalled his pleasure any longer. The thought of Ritsuka was far too entrancing, too erotic, too satisfying…

Before the fantasy could go on any further, Soubi threw his head back and groaned a final time, pumping his length with fervor until his seed spilled from the head of his erection. The still-running shower water quickly washed it away, and Soubi was left with no breath and little more than a faintly lingering memory of the fantasy he had conjured.

Soubi knew it was wrong to think of Ritsuka that way. Ritsuka was still a child; he still had some growing up to do.

Even so…

Soubi couldn't help but to crave him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Forgive the long absence, everyone, and thank you for being so patient with me. I have two chapters for you all this time; mind you, they're pretty short. However, I will try to regulate my updates.

And, on a side note, I apologize in advance for any of the odd 3/4 symbols that may be popping up here and there. For some reason, when I upload on this server, it finagles with the document a bit more than it should. The 3/4 symbols were originally meant to be dashes. Again, sorry!

On with the story.

*

True to form, Soubi approached Ritsuka's high school twenty minutes before the bell's scheduled release alarm. The blond kept a slight distance, found a leaning post on the stone wall connecting to an almost ominous iron gate, lit a cigarette, and waited patiently for the bell to ring. All the while, random thoughts flitted across his mind.

What entertainment would he and Ritsuka find today? Movies, video games, or perhaps a leisurely stroll around town?

What sort of mood would Ritsuka be in today? Would he be more quiet and reserved, or bright and playful?

What would they talk about today? What new little piece of information would Soubi learn about his little neko?

Even truer to form than his routine wait at the school gate, Soubi analyzed the day to death before it even begun. He couldn't help it. The prospect of a full day (and night) with Ritsuka was far too exciting. Even more thrilling was the fact that Ritsuka had requested this one-on-one time with Soubi, not the other way around. It made their offbeat relationship seem a bit less one-sided, in a sense. More often than not, Soubi took the initiative; Soubi called Ritsuka, Soubi climbed onto Ritsuka's balcony, and Soubi suggested that they time together. Inadvertently, Ritsuka had made Soubi feel important, wanted, needed. The thought brought a smile to his thin lips. Soubi didn't often indulge in self-worth, but if only for those fleeting moments on that sleepy street, he was willing to make an exception.

Oh, if only Ritsuka knew the effect he had on Soubi! The monotony, the persistence of this sensation, this zealous love Soubi had for the youth was enough to drive him mad! _Almost_. Not completely. Those violet eyes would ensure Soubi's sanity. At the same time as they would wrack Soubi's being with longing, they kept him grounded in reality. Soubi needed those eyes, needed Ritsuka.

Maybe today…

Ri-ing~!

The obnoxiously shrill school bell chimed, and Soubi withdrew from his thoughts and fantasies, focusing instead on the present, as well as the half-smoked cigarette dangling lazily between his lips. It was his third smoke in a row. Perhaps the scent would displease Ritsuka. That in mind, Soubi flicked the cigarette onto the concrete, ground it out with his heel, and reached into his pocket for the little roll of mints he knew to be there. Kio, for once, had come in handy for giving him the sweets.

"You reek of nicotine!" Kio had complained. A quick shuffle through their shared kitchen elicited a roll of minty candy, which Kio then stuffed into Soubi's pants pocket. "Keep those on you," he had said. "They come in handy." Kio gave Soubi an almost perverse wink, and then traipsed onto another subject.

Soubi rolled one of the peppermint wheels through his mouth, testing its flavor on different sections of his tongue. Not bad, he decided. A bit strong, though. Oh, well. Perhaps the veracity of the mint would dull the presence of cigarette smoke in his mouth all the more quickly.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka called as he trotted down the concrete walkway. Soubi, calm as ever until then, immediately knew himself to be blushing. That's right... Just the night before, Soubi had used the image of this innocent little kitten to pleasure himself, and he was only realizing it now, right then, with Ritsuka right in front of him. Very nice, Soubi, to be thinking about that now. Talk about bad timing!

"Ritsuka," Soubi murmured after a brief struggle with his voice, and he conjured a smile.

"Were you waiting long?" Ritsuka asked, shifting his weight from his left to his right, adjusting the backpack over his shoulder. Such an innocent little motion, and one that caused a stir in Soubi. Ritsuka was so beautiful… so slender… Every slight shift of his body was so unwittingly captivating, fluid, and even sensual. Maybe it was a mild aftereffect from the prior Ritsuka-induced pleasure high, but with every breath Ritsuka took, every blink of those brilliant eyes, Soubi desired the neko more and more.

"No," Soubi assured, stepping closer to the object of his affections. "No longer than usual. Was your mother alright with you spending the night away from home?"

"Yes" Ritsuka responded quickly - A little too quickly. "Well…" Ritsuka paused. Soubi raised an eyebrow. "She didn't exactly agree to it," Ritsuka admitted, his brow furrowed. "I knew she wouldn't, so… made something up."

"Oh?" Soubi was a bit surprised. Had Ritsuka actually lied to his mother?

"It's no big deal," Ritsuka chimed brightly, smiling. "I just told her that it was a school outing to Kyoto. An overnight thing. A bus ride to Kyoto takes nine hours, anyway, so she believed it. Didn't even think to ask about why I didn't say anything about it earlier…"

There was a tiny bit of Seimei present in those words, and Soubi nearly shuddered from it. Admitted, it was only on a minute scale, trace at best, but… Soubi was both repelled and voraciously attracted to it.

"Are you sure… you won't get caught?" Soubi ventured cautiously. "If she finds out…"

The thought of what image might have been conjured by finishing that sentence was horrific.

Ritsuka promptly shook his head. "Mom's a shut-in," he said. "She doesn't go out, so she won't see me if we go somewhere, and my friends know better than to call my home phone. So we're safe!" Another bright smile.

Soubi hesitated for a few moments. He still wasn't entirely convinced, but if Ritsuka said it, it must be true. Soubi nodded accordingly. "Alright, then. Shall we go?" Ritsuka nodded, and the pair began a leisurely stroll down the street.

"So what are we going to do today?" Ritsuka asked, alternating between watching the sidewalk and watching Soubi.

"Anything you want," Soubi murmured; the answer was well used and familiar. "Name it."

"Well…" Ritsuka paused, chewing on his lower lip in thought.

Oh, God.

Yet another simple action from Ritsuka that proved utterly erotic in Soubi's mind. Ritsuka was so catlike in his motions; the way his eyes flitted about as he contemplated, the way his tongue darted out to wet his dry lower lip, the way he touched the hair that obstructed his view. Oh, _God, _to be the tongue on those lips, the fingers in that hair… Soubi had expected the fantasy from the night before to calm his raging desire for the little neko, but he had no such luck. If anything, the fever was growing stronger. The fantasy hadn't played out to its extent. Soubi wanted to finish it. Soubi _desperately_ wanted to finish it.

Again, no such luck seemed willing to present itself.

Soubi came to just when Ritsuka finally responded. "How about we take a walk in the park and go from there?" Ritsuka ventured. "It's so nice out today. We shouldn't waste it!"

Soubi smiled. Always jam-packed with good ideas, Ritsuka was. "Alright," he agreed. "How about we make it a picnic? We can stop by my apartment for some food."

The young neko nodded his head happily. "Okay!"

The walk to Soubi's apartment building took all of fifteen minutes. All the while, Ritsuka regaled Soubi with stories about his friends at school. Soubi had met them all, of course, and he had more than likely heard those anecdotes before. It didn't matter. Ritsuka loved to tell those stories, and he was a very eloquent speaker. Soubi had no trouble listening. No matter how repetitive, or even monotonous, Soubi was fascinated by everything in Ritsuka's life. He wanted - needed - to know more. Everything. Soubi wanted to know _everything_.

"You can leave your backpack in the living room, if you like," Soubi noted as he meandered into the kitchen. "I doubt you want to carry it all the way down to the park."

Ritsuka nodded. "Okay."

"I'll make us some sushi for our picnic," Soubi spoke idly as he searched through his refrigerator for his stock of fresh fish. "Is there anything specific that you'd like, Ritsuka?"

"Riceballs?" Ritsuka called from the living room. "With plums, if you have them."

Moments later, Soubi brandished freshly caught tuna in one hand - bagged, of course - and a small plastic bag of plums in the other. "What kind of amateur chef would I be without plums?" Soubi teased, and then slunk farther into the kitchen to boil a pot of water.


	14. Chapter 14

_He always takes such good care of me_, Ritsuka thought idly as he hopped up onto the kitchen counter to watch Soubi cook.

_He's always asking what I want to do, where I want to go. He's almost as good of a big brother as Seimei! _

The idea made Ritsuka insanely happy, a fact proven by the grin on his face and the swishing of his tail. Even so, Ritsuka felt as though he could only go to a certain point with Soubi, but no farther. Soubi was, after all, Seimei's boyfriend, right? In theory, Soubi had to be someone very important to Seimei. Ritsuka was always very careful of that fact, even though neither he nor Soubi ever ventured onto the subject. If Soubi was this kind to Ritsuka, his friend, he must have been even more kind and caring towards Seimei, his lover! Ritsuka didn't want to monopolize all of Soubi's generosity.

However... at the same time…

Ritsuka wanted to possess it.

Ritsuka liked Soubi, and while he wasn't sure of the extent of which he did, he was well aware of it. He knew that he liked spending time with Soubi, he knew he liked it when Soubi hugged him, and he knew that the memory of Soubi and Seimei in bed together made him oddly jealous. Ritsuka first theorized that he had been jealous of losing his brother to a lover, and maybe that had been the truth once. Now, Ritsuka knew that he was jealous of losing Soubi to Seimei.

He wasn't sure why, or even if he had a reason, all Ritsuka knew was that seeing those two together felt wrong, very wrong. Seeing Soubi and Seimei together made _Ritsuka feel wrong_, as though he wasn't doing all that he could do, or that he wasn't saying all that he could say. It was like drowning in a sea of insignificance, rolling in half-truths, living off mediocrity. Somehow, Ritsuka felt as though he wasn't doing enough!

But…

What more could he possibly do?


End file.
